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TMI BlogPhilippines confident Trump will continue military patrols to keep China in check in disputed seaX X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... Philippines confident Trump will continue military patrols to keep China in check in disputed sea X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... US military presence in the Philippines, as concerns rise over China's increasingly assertive actions in the region. Ambassador Jose Romualdez, who has had meetings with Trump's diplomatic, defence and congressional officials, said the US would likely maintain its support to help modernise the Philippine military, which is at the forefront of deterring China's growing assertiveness in the disput ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ed waters. “All of that will remain,” Romualdez told foreign correspondents at a news conference in Manila. “I am confident that it will.” A Washington meeting between Trump and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was being arranged and could happen as soon as as both leaders' schedules allow, maybe in the spring, Romualdez said. There was no immediate comment by Chinese officials on Romu ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... aldez's statements. Trump's “America First” foreign policy and moves to roll back Washington's development assistance and security aid worldwide have set off concerns about the scale and depth of the US commitment to the Indo-Pacific in his new term. In recent talks between Philippine defense and military officials and their American counterparts, both sides have reaffirmed their commitment to m ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... aintain robust ties. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany last month and “not only reaffirmed US commitment to the United States-Philippines alliance but noted his enthusiasm for building an even more invested and enduring relationship,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said then. The ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ir “discussions included the ongoing bilateral coordination on addressing China's destabilising actions in the South China Sea and increasing economic cooperation on infrastructure, critical minerals, information technology and energy, including through civil nuclear cooperation”, Bruce said. Confrontations between China and the Philippines have flared up in recent years in the South China Sea, a ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... major global trade route, where Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have had overlapping claims for decades. Romualdez said helping the Philippines stand up to threats to unhindered passage and overflight in the contested waters would benefit the US and other allied and friendly countries, which are strengthening their defence ties with Manila. "We're right in the forefront of this push to mak ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... e sure that the Indo-Pacific region remains free and clear,” he said. Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, took steps to strengthen an arc of security alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter China's assertiveness, including in any future confrontation over self-governed Taiwan. That has aligned with Marcos' thrust to strengthen his country's external defences to protect the territorial intere ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... sts of the Philippines in the South China Sea. (AP) PY PY X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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