U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth [EPA = Yonhap News] 사진 확대

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth [EPA = Yonhap News]

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 United States and the Philippines applies anywhere in the Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Secretary Hegseth said in a meeting with President Marcos at the Pentagon building near Washington, DC that “our alliance with a rich history has never been stronger or more central than it is now. We remain committed to a mutual defense treaty.”

Minister Hegseth continued, “This treaty applies to armed attacks on our military and aircraft or public ships (including those belonging to the Maritime Guard) from anywhere in the Pacific Ocean, including 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 it is a nuance that the scope of the bilateral alliance 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.

Hegseth’s remarks are drawing attention as the Trump administration may apply the same logic applied to the U.S.-Philippines alliance to the South 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 could be expanded not only to the Korean Peninsula and its surroundings, but also to East China Sea and the South China Sea, where a U.S.-China dispatch could 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 we will be determined.”

“I believe our alliance, the United States and the Philippines, have played a big 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 region. President Marcos will hold a summit with President Donald Trump at the White House on the 22nd.