Trump administration pledges ‘ironclad’ support for Philippine security | South China Sea News

New US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has condemned China’s ‘dangerous’ actions towards the Philippines in the South China Sea.

New United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured Manila of Washington’s “unwavering” commitment to defend the Philippines in the face of China’s aggression in the South China Sea, during his first phone call with Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo.

Rubio also criticized Beijing’s “dangerous and disruptive actions in the South China Sea” in Wednesday’s call with Manalo, which the top US official said violated international law.

“Secretary Rubio conveyed that [China’s] the conduct undermines the peace and stability of the region and is inconsistent with international law,” the State Department said in a statement.

“An armed attack in the Pacific, involving anywhere in the South China Sea, on their civilian ships, aircraft, or armed forces – including the coast guard – would require a commitment to self-defense,” the State Department noted.

Washington and the Philippines, a former American colony, signed a Mutual Defense Treaty in 1951 that stipulated that both countries would defend each other if attacked.

Rubio held the call with his Philippine counterpart a day after holding a four-way meeting with his Quadrilateral Security Dialogue counterparts from India, Japan and Australia.

In a veiled warning to Beijing, the four-nation defense group – known as the Quad – said it supported a free and open Indo-Pacific region, “where the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity are upheld and protected”.

“We are also strongly opposed to any collective actions that seek to change the situation by force or force,” they said in a statement.

China holds extensive claims that include much of the South China Sea, which violates the maritime claims of several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines.

In 2016, in a dispute brought by Manila against Beijing, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis.

The decision, which Beijing dismissed, has little bearing on China’s growing assertiveness in the disputed maritime area.

Chinese and Philippine navies have been engaged in intense skirmishes over the disputed islands, waters and reefs in the area over the past year.

On January 14, the Philippines criticized China for sending a “huge vessel” into Manila’s exclusive maritime economic zone, calling the move by China’s security forces alarming and intended to intimidate fishermen working near the disputed vessel.

“It is an escalation and a provocation,” Philippine National Security Council spokesman Jonathan Malaya said at the time, adding that the ship’s presence was “illegal” and “unacceptable”.

In response, the Philippine Navy held a “sovereignty patrol” with a live-fire exercise near the area, which was followed by a joint military exercise with the US.

That week, China’s People’s Liberation Army also conducted military combat readiness exercises in contested waters.

Scarborough Shoal is one of a chain of tropical reefs in the South China Sea. While sitting within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines, China maintains control over the amount.