The administration of US President Donald Trump is ramping up its relationship with the Philippines, including its efforts to address China’s destabilizing actions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed this commitment to his counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, at 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 Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Rubio “not only reaffirmed the 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 West Philippine 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 would contribute to a more robust alliance between Manila and Washington.
“We are committed to working together to further strengthen our economic and security ties,” Manalo said in a separate post on X.
Last month, Rubio, in a phone call to Manalo, vowed the US’ continued support for the Philippines amid the “dangerous and destabilizing actions” of China in the contested maritime region.
Rubio, as in previous official pledges, also underscored Washington’s ironclad commitment to Manila under the Mutual Defense Treaty, a longstanding framework between the two nations.
Both officials “exchanged views on ways to advance security cooperation, expand economic ties for shared prosperity, and deepen avenues for further regional cooperation.”