Donald Trump set to sustain US-Philippines ties to counter China’s clout: analysts

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SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST | Published November 7, 2024

China will be Donald Trump’s key priority, and the Philippines can expect security commitments from Washington to continue, analysts say

Former US president Donald Trump’s return to the White House could reshape the Philippines’ defence strategy, with experts debating whether his robust approach would strengthen Manila’s security ties with Washington or push it into a risky stand-off with Beijing in the contested South China Sea.

Alan Chong, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, predicted that Trump would potentially play “hardball with China” and prioritise the US economy after his return.

“If Beijing does not play ball, Trump will arm the Philippines for a confrontation in the South China Sea,” Chong told This Week in Asia.

Trump, who initiated a trade war with China during his first term, has said his administration would raise tariffs to 60 per cent on all Chinese imports, alongside a blanket 10 or 20 per cent tariff on all foreign goods entering the US.

China claims most of the South China Sea, with the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam also contesting sovereignty over the disputed waterways. An international tribunal in 2016 dismissed China’s expansive claims, a ruling Beijing has consistently rejected.

Beijing has been accused of employing aggressive tactics against Philippine ships in the South China Sea previously, such as firing water cannons and using high-intensity lasers, in a bid to assert its claims.

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SOURCE: www.scmp.com

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Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez speaks during a U.S. Trade and Development Agency Offshore Wind Grant signing in Manila, Philippines, August 6, 2022. Andrew Harnik/Pool… Purchase Licensing Rights

REUTERS | Published November 7, 2024

MANILA, Nov 7 (Reuters) – The Philippines expects U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific and support for its treaty ally amid South China Sea tensions to remain steady under Donald Trump, driven by bipartisan resolve in Washington, its ambassador to the U.S. said on Thursday.

Both Democrats and Republicans prioritise countering China’s influence, including in the South China Sea, Jose Manuel Romualdez said, suggesting that military cooperation, economic ties and security commitments with the Philippines will continue.

“It is in their interest that the Indo-Pacific region remains free, peaceful and stable, especially given the economic part of it, with trillions of dollars passing through the South China Sea,” Romualdez told Reuters in an interview.

U.S.-Philippine security engagements have deepened under President Joe Biden and Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with both leaders keen to counter what they see as China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea and near Taiwan.