US reaffirms ‘ironclad’ defense commitment to Philippines amid China tensions

The United States on Monday reaffirmed its “ironclad” defense commitment to the Philippines, vowing to stand firmly with Filipinos in defending the country’s sovereignty and protecting its territorial integrity amid a persistent maritime dispute with China.

US Ambassador Lee Lipton reiterated Washington’s commitment following Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s visit to Cebu for the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-Plus on 29 and 29 October.

Lipton said the US-Philippines defense alliance remained “stronger than ever” as the two countries recently marked the 75th anniversary of their Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), a bilateral security agreement that commits Manila and Washington to defending each other against external armed attacks.

“That partnership is demonstrated every year through hundreds of joint exercises and training events, hundreds of millions of dollars in US security assistance, expanded maritime cooperative activities, disaster response support, public health assistance, and frequent engagements between our senior defense and security leaders. We’re in this for the long term,” the envoy said in a statement.

Lipton’s remarks came shortly after the Chinese Embassy in Manila accused Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro of blocking Beijing’s participation in the ADMM-Plus, which the Philippines hosted as this year’s ASEAN chair.

The embassy claimed ASEAN member states received their invitations in late September or early October, while China received its invitation only on 22 October, leaving fewer than five working days to prepare.

“In fact, despite the extremely tight deadline, China still managed to send a delegation to the meeting,” the embassy said, referring to Senior Capt. Yang Lei, its defense attaché in Manila.

It also claimed that the Philippines had been reluctant to send an invitation but was compelled to do so after participating countries “expressed strong opposition” to allegedly singling out China in multilateral defense cooperation with ASEAN.

The annual regional meeting brought together defense leaders from ASEAN member states and partner countries for enhanced dialogue amid an increasingly challenging regional security environment.

Teodoro personally welcomed the regional defense officials, except for Yang, who did not hold a rank or stature equivalent to those of the other delegations.

The embassy’s statement came amid an already tense standoff between the Philippines and China over the West Philippine Sea.

Lipton said the US remained unwavering in its commitment to promoting regional stability alongside the Philippines, which he described as an “ally, partner, and friend.”

“Our relationship is not simply a matter of treaties or shared strategic interests; it is a bond between our peoples that grows stronger every day,” he said.

Washington has long maintained that the MDT covers armed attacks against Philippine armed forces, public vessels and aircraft anywhere in the Pacific, including the South China Sea.