United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday maintained that the Philippines and the US have a treaty agreement after yet another tension between China and the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea.

Rubio, who had talks with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Malacañang Palace earlier in the day, affirmed that the incident that happened at the Ayungin Shoal is a high-profile issue.

“We’ve all seen it, and you know it’s a sort of an escalatory thing that we think is very negative, and you know benefits no one,” he said during an interview with international and local reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings being held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

“And obviously, we’ve reiterated in every meeting we’ve had that the US has a treaty arrangement with the Philippines. I believe we’re the only treaty partner the Philippines has. We intend to live up to our treaty obligations, and I think we’ve done so, and we’ll continue to do so,” the US official stressed.

The US earlier condemned and termed China’s violence in the West Philippine Sea as dangerous and aggressive actions against Philippine navy personnel.

“China’s actions in the South China Sea threaten regional stability and stand in sharp contrast to Philippine forces’ professionalism and discipline,” according to US Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton in a statement on Tuesday.

“We join the Philippines’ call for China’s Navy, Coast Guard, and maritime militia to stop their illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions in the South China Sea,” he added.

However, the Chinese Embassy in Manila also rejected the US Embassy’s statement regarding the incident in Ayungin Shoal, insisting Philippine personnel aboard rubber boats “ignored repeated warnings,” rammed a China Coast Guard patrol boat, and attacked Chinese personnel.

The Philippines and the US formally established diplomatic relations on 4 July 1946, marking 80 years of diplomatic relations this year. It is the Philippines’ oldest and only treaty ally.

Bilateral defense and security engagement remains a key pillar of PH-U.S. bilateral relations and is carried out within the framework of the Mutual Defense Treaty, Visiting Forces Agreement, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement and other bilateral agreements.

Regionally, the US has been an ASEAN Dialogue Partner since 1977 and a Comprehensive Strategic Partner since 2022.

In terms of trade, the US is the Philippines’ third largest trading partner, top export market, and fifth largest import supplier as of 2025.

The US is also the Philippines major source of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and Official Development Assistance (ODA).

In 2025, net FDI from the US reached $183.99 million. In 2023, it was the Philippines’ top source of ODA grants, amounting to $615.97 million.