The United States government seeks to enhance its relationship with the Philippines, which includes destabilizing China’s actions in the South China Sea.

US State Secretary Marco Rubio reiterated this to his counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, during their first in-person meeting in Germany on Saturday.

“Had the opportunity to meet with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo during the Munich Security Conference,” Rubio said in a post on X.

“We discussed how we can strengthen the US-Philippine Alliance to address China’s destabilizing actions in the South China Sea and increase the economic prosperity of our citizens,” he added.

In a separate statement, US State spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Rubio “not only reaffirmed US commitment to the United States-Philippines alliance, but noted his enthusiasm for building an even more invested and enduring relationship.”

“Discussions included the ongoing bilateral coordination on addressing China’s destabilizing actions in the South China Sea; and increasing economic cooperation on infrastructure, critical minerals, information technology, and energy, including through civil nuclear cooperation,” Bruce said.

For his part, Manalo said he discussed partnerships with Rubio in various areas that will contribute to a more robust alliance between Manila and Washington.

“We are committed to working together to further strengthen economic and security ties,” he said in a separate post on X.

Last month, Rubio, in a telephone call to Manalo, vowed US continued support for the Philippines amid “dangerous and destabilizing actions” of China in the South China Sea.

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

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