US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemns Beijing’s provocations as he arrives in Manila for ASEAN talks, reaffirming Washington’s defence commitment.
MANILA: The United States condemned “dangerous and aggressive actions” by China following a clash with the Philippine navy in the South China Sea, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Manila on Tuesday for a meeting of Southeast Asian nations.
“China’s troubling pattern of provocations against the Philippines’ legitimate maritime operations undermines regional peace and stability and directly contradicts China’s repeated commitments to resolve disputes peacefully,” the US State Department said in a statement.
The US secretary of state landed in Manila on Tuesday morning for a meeting of his counterparts from the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
While his entourage has not publicly confirmed talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, who will also be in Manila on Wednesday and Thursday, Rubio has said he is open to the possibility of a meeting.
The two met last year on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur and again in Munich in February.
In an op-ed published in Philippine media outlets Tuesday morning, Rubio heralded Washington’s commitment “to freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia” while reaffirming the US defensive umbrella in the region.
“This freedom is by no means guaranteed. If these waters were to fall under the control of a power willing to use trade as a geopolitical weapon, both the United States and the ASEAN states would face serious new threats to their sovereignty, security, and economic future,” he wrote, in a clear allusion to China.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a vital global trade route, despite an international ruling that its claims have no legal basis.
Multiple ASEAN member states, including the Philippines, have territorial claims that overlap with China’s.
The Philippine military accused the Chinese coast guard of wounding a Filipino sailor on Monday near an outpost in a disputed area of the crucial waterway.
The Chinese coast guard responded to the accusations in a statement, calling Manila’s version of events a “complete distortion of the truth”.
Rubio is making his first visit to the Philippines as secretary of state, where he intends to reaffirm the strengthened partnership with the United States.
The visit comes as the United States and Iran are once again embroiled in conflict, more than a week after the resumption of hostilities over another strategic waterway, the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to the press before his departure from Washington on Sunday, he indicated that he would participate in a meeting with fellow Quad countries Australia, Japan and India on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, as well as meetings with South Korea and possibly Vietnam.
Rubio intends to raise the issue of US economic commitment to energy infrastructure, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence during these meetings, he said.
