Philippines remains under threat from China despite Trump-Xi summit, minister says

By Raju Gopalakrishnan

SINGAPORE, May 30 (Reuters) – The Philippines remains under “severe threat” from China, its defence minister said on Saturday, despite a recent thaw in U.S.-China tensions after the summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping earlier this month.

Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence forum, Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said it was natural for countries like the United States and China to try to ease tensions because “when they are at parity defence-wise, then there is respect and the capability to adjust because of the depth that both countries have.”

“For countries like the Philippines, though, which is under severe threat territory-wise and politically too by China, we have no choice but really to be resilient and to stand up against Chinese aggression.”

The Philippines and China have engaged in repeated maritime standoffs in the South China Sea in recent years, as Beijing continues to press expansive claims – largely discredited by a 2016 arbitration ruling – over waters that overlap with rival claimants that also include Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Teodoro said there was no indication that U.S. commitments to the Philippines under their mutual defence treaty were being affected by either the Trump-Xi summit or the war in the Middle East.

He added that the commitment was “buttressed” by Manila’s defence ties with other allies including Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

“The commitment of the United States becomes more solid when more actors, at least in the deterrence phase, come in, because there is a common threat.”

The Philippines’ policy toward China, Teodoro said, is to build resilience by resisting pressure, strengthening alliances as needed, and rapidly upgrading defence infrastructure “in a very realistic and rapid way.”

Nothing has changed, he said, referring to reports that China had offered fertiliser and fuel to the Philippines during shortages triggered by the war in the Middle East.

“No matter how they sugarcoat their assistance to us, it doesn’t cut the mustard,” he said, adding that any actual demonstration of good faith on a long-term basis was absent. “It’s actually guileful.”

Media reports have said Teodoro could also be a potential contender in the 2028 presidential election, when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term ends.

Teodoro said he had no plans to do so.

“It’s best to let things evolve as they are. So, it’s best for me, for my duty to my country, to stick with what I’m doing.”

(Reporting by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)