사진 확대 U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, inspects the honor guard as he greets Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at a welcoming ceremony at the Arlington Department of Defense building in Virginia on the 21st (local time). AP Yonhap News Agency
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on the 21st (local time) and stressed that the mutual defense treaty between allies the U.S. and the Philippines applies anywhere in the Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea.
According to the Pentagon, Secretary Hegseth met with President Marcos at the Pentagon building near Washington, DC, and said, “Our alliance with a rich history has never been as strong or key as it is now. We are still committed to a mutual defense treaty.”
Minister Hegseth continued, “This treaty applies to armed attacks on our military and aircraft or public ships (including maritime patrol members) anywhere in the Pacific Ocean, such as the South China Sea.”
Minister Hegseth’s remarks seem to have emphasized security cooperation between the two countries to check and deter China. This is because the scope of the bilateral alliance is mentioned with a nuance that it can cover not only Philippine territory and surrounding waters, but also the entire Pacific Ocean.
For example, if the Philippines is attacked by China in the South China Sea, the U.S. will support the Philippines, and if the U.S. is attacked by China in East China Sea, the Philippines will support the U.S.
사진 확대 Hegseth’s remarks are drawing attention as the Donald Trump administration may reflect this logic applied to the U.S.-Philippines alliance in the Korea-U.S. alliance. Since the inauguration of the second Trump administration, the area of cooperation between the U.S. and South Korea-U.S. alliance has been expected to expand not only to the Korean Peninsula and its surroundings, but also to East China Sea and the South China Sea, where dispatch between the U.S. and China may occur. In addition, some argue that the role of the U.S. Forces Korea should exercise “strategic flexibility” that is not limited to the Korean Peninsula, such as deterrence against North Korea.
“The United States is committed to achieving peace through power and is willing to cooperate with all countries that share these aspirations in the region,” Hegseth said. “We do not seek armed conflict, but we will be ready now and in the future, and this will be decisive.”
“I believe our alliance, the United States and the Philippines, have played a major role in maintaining stability in the South China Sea,” Marcos said. “But I will also say (the bilateral alliance will play a role in stability) for the entire Indo-Pacific region.” “I’m very happy that we can always continue to strengthen that relationship,” he added.
On this day, President Marcos also met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The two emphasized the importance of an ironclad alliance between the two countries to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. President Marcos will hold a summit with President Donald Trump at the White House on the 22nd.
[Washington correspondent Choi Seungjin]