The new US Secretary of State says in a phone call that the country is committed to the Philippines

New US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed China’s “dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea” with the Philippines’ foreign minister on Wednesday and underlined Washington’s “consistent” defense commitment to Manila.

“Secretary Rubio said (China’s) behavior undermines regional peace and stability and is inconsistent with international law,” the US State Department said in a statement on the call with Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo.

For the past two years, the Philippines has been embroiled in maritime disputes with China, and the two countries have regularly clashed over issues in the South China Sea, which lies within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.

Rubio’s appeal came after he hosted the foreign ministers of Australia, India and Japan on Tuesday, the day after President Donald Trump returned to the White House. The four have recommitted to working together.

The four countries and the Philippines share concerns about China’s growing power, and analysts said Tuesday’s meeting was designed to signal continuity in the Indo-Pacific and that countering Beijing will be one of Trump’s top priorities.

In the call with Manalo, Rubio “underlined the United States’ ironclad commitments to the Philippines” under the Mutual Defense Treaty and discussed ways to advance security cooperation, expand economic ties and deepen cooperation regional, we read in the statement.

China’s Foreign Ministry said its activities in the waters were “reasonable, legal and above reproach.”

At a regular press conference, ministry spokesman Mao Ning said the United States is “not a party” to the South China Sea dispute and “has no right to intervene” in China-China maritime issues.

“Military cooperation between the United States and the Philippines should not undermine China’s sovereignty, maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, nor should it be used to support the Philippines’ illegal claims,” Mao said.

The Philippines is among the first countries to engage with the new US administration to discuss crucial security issues, the Department of Defense in Manila said in a statement.

Source: Terra

Rose

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