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WASHINGTON, USA – Democratic lawmakers are calling on the Trump administration to devote more attention to the country’s alliance with the Philippines as Beijing continues to assert its sovereignty over the South China Sea.
At the Sixteenth Annual South China Sea Conference held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, on July 7, the speakers linked China’s actions against the Philippines in the South China Sea to the Trump government’s involvement in global conflicts.
“We must shift our focus away from forever unwinnable wars in the Middle East. [Chinese President] Xi knows just how distracted we are that we are no longer defending international norms,” US Representative Eugene Vindman said in a pre-recorded keynote speech at the CSIS event.
Ten years after an arbitral tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines against China’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea on July 12, 2016, Beijing still refuses to recognize the Arbitral Award.
In June, China placed an unauthorized floating structure inside Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc, which China’s Foreign Ministry said was meant for conducting scientific research. China towed the platform after the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest.
“The United States and the entire global community have not done enough [for the Philippines]. There was a ruling on this issue at the International Tribunal, and right now China is flouting that international law,” Vindman told Rappler.
According to a Pulse Asia Research, Incorporated survey conducted in May, 86% of Filipinos believe the government should defend the West Philippine Sea alongside “like-minded countries” in accordance with the 2016 Arbitral Award. Of the respondents, 84% said they wanted the Philippines to work with the United States.
In an email statement on Sunday, July 12, the Philippine embassy in Washington reiterated the Philippines’ commitment to its Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States, which will mark its 75th anniversary in August.
“As treaty allies and enduring partners, the Philippines and the United States will continue to strengthen cooperation in support of regional stability, maritime security, and a rules-based order with the landmark 2016 Award ruling serving as a key pillar of international law,” the statement read.
‘There’s a lot more that can be done’
Jay Batongbacal, University of the Philippines law professor and director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea of the UP Law Center, said the decision to invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and receive support from American troops ultimately falls on the Philippines.
“We can only rely on what the Americans say, that they will respond if necessary, but that also requires us to be the ones to take the lead in that, so they will follow up with their end,” Batongbacal said in an interview on the sidelines of the forum.
He pointed to a 2024 incident where the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) obstructed the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal). Videos showed members of the CCG boarding Philippine Navy vessels and brandishing weapons in what the AFP called a “brazen act of aggression.”
Batongbacal said that the incident could have triggered the US’ defense obligations under the MDT, should the Philippines have called on them.
“It would have provided ample basis for Philippine forces to call US units to come to aid them there, but it was the Philippines that decided not to do that,” he said.
Still, the existing relationship between Philippine and US military troops remains robust, as evidenced by the size of Balikatan 2026, which commenced in late April.
This year’s Balikatan, an annual joint military exercise between the Philippines and the US held across different parts of the country, was billed as the biggest yet. Although primarily a bilateral exercise, partner nations including Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, and Japan also sent combat troops this year.
The US has also folded military funding for the Philippines in its 2026 defense bill, thanks to the passage of the Philippines Enhanced Resilience (PERA) Act in 2025.
Most notably, the PERA Act authorizes up to $500 million in grant assistance to the Philippines annually through 2030, or a total of $2.5 billion over five fiscal years.
“We are very focused on making sure this relationship gets even stronger, and there is a lot more that can be done,” Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and one of the bill’s authors, said at the CSIS event.
But panelists at the CSIS event noted that the issue of the South China Sea did not come up at all in US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May, where the US president pointed to a more productive relationship with Beijing.
Harrison Prétat, deputy director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at CSIS, said while he was surprised the US has not pushed back more, he remained confident they would step in should the situation escalate.
“The South China Sea is not showing up as a major component of US-China relations, when talked about by President Trump or other high-level officials, that might lead China to believe that the commitment is weaker,” he said.
He added, “I don’t think that’s the case, but if they think the commitment is weaker and they push the line, then the US will react, and then we get into a real crisis.” – Rappler.com
Erika is a Rappler intern based in the United States. She is taking up a Master’s degree in political and foreign affairs journalism at Northwestern University. She has finished internship programs at CNBC, CNN, and Capitol News Illinois, where she did articles related to business and technology.
