Newly confirmed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday vowed the continuing support of the United States for the Philippines amid the “dangerous and destabilizing actions” of China in the South China Sea.

In a readout released by the US Department of State, spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Rubio conveyed the message to his Filipino counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, in a telephone call.

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo about issues of mutual concern, including the PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea,” Bruce said.

“Secretary Rubio conveyed that the PRC’s behavior undermines regional peace and stability and is inconsistent with international law,” she added

Rubio also underscored Washington’s commitments to Manila under the Mutual Defense Treaty, a longstanding framework between the two nations.

Likewise, the two secretaries “exchanged views on ways to advance security cooperation, expand economic ties for shared prosperity, and deepen avenues for further regional cooperation.”

In a tweet on X, Manalo said that he spoke with Rubio and congratulated him on his appointment as the 72nd US Secretary of State.

“We discussed the importance of the PH-US alliance for the prosperity and security of the Indo-Pacific, and the strength of our bilateral political, economic and people-to-people ties,” he said.

He continued: “We look forward to working with Secretary Rubio and his team towards addressing challenges and sustaining the momentum and positive trajectory in our bilateral relations.”

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, which overlaps the West Philippine Sea. A 2016 arbitral ruling invalidated China’s claim while affirming the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone in the WPS.

China has for years been encroaching on the WPS.