MANILA: Manila’s top envoy to Washington expressed confidence Tuesday that the United States will not abandon the Philippines as it fights Beijing’s assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea — even as Donald Trump and Xi Jinping seek more direct talks to resolve differences.
Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez welcomed renewed talks between the US and Chinese leaders, and said Manila should also try to “fine-tune” its relations with Beijing to allow for more trade engagement.
He said, however, that the Philippines will remain steadfast in defending its territorial interests in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety.
The US and the Philippines, Washington’s oldest treaty ally in Asia, have been the most vocal critics of China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, where Chinese forces have in recent years used powerful water cannons, flares and dangerous blocking maneuvers against Filipino forces at sea and in the air.
The US has repeatedly warned China that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines if Filipino forces come under an armed attack. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the territorial standoffs but have avoided condemning China’s assertiveness.
