Latest news with #alliance
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Philippine president and top U.S. officials vow to ramp up deterrence
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. received assurances from top U.S. officials during a visit to Washington that the United States' alliance with his country remains ironclad despite unilateral tariffs and demands that American allies spend more on defense. Marcos met separately with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department, with both top U.S. officials pointing to China as a top mutual threat. Marcos was due to meet President Donald Trump on Tuesday, where the Philippine leader will aim to secure a trade deal before an Aug. 1 deadline while fending off demands to dole out more cash for defense. The U.S. this month raised the threatened "reciprocal" tariffs on Philippine imports to 20% from the 17% announced in April. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has set a 'global standard' for U.S. allies to spend 5% of gross domestic product on defense. Those moves have stoked concern in Manila about Washington's commitment to their alliance and the larger U.S. focus on the Indo-Pacific region. But Hegseth sought to ameliorate concerns, emphasizing that the region is the United States' 'priority theater' and that the administration 'is committed to achieving peace through strength.' 'Our storied alliance has never been stronger or more essential than it is today, and together we remain committed to the Mutual Defense Treaty,' Hegseth said. 'This pact extends to armed attacks on our armed forces, aircraft or public vessels, including our Coast Guard anywhere in the Pacific, including the South China Sea.' Manila and Beijing have faced off in the disputed South China Sea, nudging Marcos closer to Washington. This has also seen the Philippines grant the U.S. expanded access to military bases in the Southeast Asian nation — a move that comes amid China's growing pressure on democratic Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own. Although Hegseth did not directly mention China by name, his intended audience was clear. 'We do not seek confrontation, but we are and will be ready and resolute,' he said. Marcos, calling the allies' mutual defense pact the 'cornerstone' of their relationship, offered praise for the allies' growing defense ties. He also appeared to defend the alliance from criticism by Beijing that the allies have been working hand in glove to contain China. 'It is the proper response considering the challenges, let me put it that way,' Marcos said. 'The challenges that we face in the Philippines specifically are vis a vis the changing political geopolitical forces and the political developments around our part of the world.' U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the State Department in Washington on Monday. | AFP-JIJI But Marcos said that the U.S.-Philippine relationship 'must continue to evolve' as circumstances change — a hint that he would continue to promote even more robust defense ties. Hegseth also touched on this, lauding Manila's focus on collective defense, including its push to build security relationships with like-minded partners such as Japan and Australia, as well as its modernization of its armed forces. The U.S. defense chief also noted the controversial deployment of 'new cutting-edge missiles' and 'unmanned systems.' This includes continued deployment of the advanced Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) and Typhon U.S. missile systems to Philippine territory. Both systems could put nearby Chinese forces at risk. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy is set to build a new boat maintenance facility to help repair Philippine military vessels in a province facing the South China Sea. The facility could also host unmanned platforms. "Together, we must forge a strong shield of real deterrence for peace," said Hegseth, who visited Manila in March. Meanwhile, Marcos and Rubio also discussed economic issues, including cooperation on the Luzon Economic Corridor and strengthening supply chains. A press release from the State Department did not mention if tariffs had been discussed. However, in a development that could engender goodwill in Trump's mind and help offset trade concerns, the Philippines has signaled an openness to jointly producing ammunition with the U.S. in the Southeast Asian nation. Manila's ambassador to Washington, Jose Manuel Romualdez, told Philippine media Sunday that such a move would be a 'combination both of defense and economic cooperation.' U.S. lawmakers have urged the Pentagon and State Department to study the 'feasibility of establishing a joint ammunition and manufacturing storage facility' at the former U.S. naval base in Subic Bay, citing the 'lack of forward-stage ammunition manufacturing facility in the Indo-Pacific.'
Wall Street Journal
2 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Europe Will Never Keep Its Promises to Trump on Defense
Among President Donald Trump's more ballyhooed successes in the early months of his second term has been forcing European nations finally to take more responsibility for their own defense. '[It's] something that no one really thought possible,' the president said at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in the Hague last month, when members of the alliance promised to increase their defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035, from the current average of below 2%. 'They said, 'You did it, sir. You did it.' Well, I don't know if I did it, but I think I did.'
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Marcos seeks to seal US-Philippine trade pact and fortify security ties in Trump meeting
When Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr sits down with US President Donald Trump for bilateral talks on Tuesday, his top priority will be to secure a trade deal while reinforcing Manila's security alliance with Washington against Beijing. Advertisement Such a grand bargain, however, appears to be a long shot. The Philippines has sought to link security and trade in a broader strategic package, but they have faced resistance from the Trump administration, which is reluctant to merge the two tracks, according to people familiar with the situation. Trade negotiations have intensified since Trump threatened this month to impose additional tariffs of 20 per cent on Philippine imports if a deal is not completed by August 1. A team of negotiators from Manila flew to Washington last week ahead of Marcos' arrival on Sunday. A final agreement could be announced during the state visit, which concludes Tuesday and makes Marcos the first Southeast Asian leader invited to the White House during Trump's second term. Advertisement
New York Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Brothers in Arms: Macron, Merz and Starmer Plan for a Post-U.S. Future
The leaders of Britain, France and Germany are burying lingering grievances. They are creating new defense partnerships. And, together, they are keeping a wary eye on their longtime ally, the United States. In the six months that President Trump has rattled the decades-old trans-Atlantic alliance, his counterparts in Europe's most powerful countries are building parallel diplomatic and defense institutions for a future without the United States as the primary guarantor of economic and military security. On Thursday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain and Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany signed a wide-ranging treaty for mutual defense, economic cooperation and other partnerships. Last week, Mr. Starmer and President Emmanuel Macron of France agreed to coordinate their nuclear arsenals. In May, the three men traveled together by train to Ukraine for a demonstration of solidarity. Next week, Mr. Macron will visit Mr. Merz in Berlin. The three men are also leaders of a 'coalition of the willing' aimed at supporting Ukraine's fight against Russia as American support wanes, an effort that will soon get a formal headquarters in Paris. Planning for a possible Europe-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine has been underway for months. On Friday, the European Union announced an 18th package of sanctions against Russia. The 'triangle alliance,' as Britain, France and Germany are sometimes now called, are already partners through NATO and the Group of 7 — forums that include the United States. Officials for the three European countries are careful to say that the institutions they are building are meant to supplement those alliances not replace them. But NATO is a sprawling defense bureaucracy that represents 32 countries, some of whom disagree with each other. Officials in Berlin, London and Paris are eager for a smaller, more nimble group to respond to what Mr. Merz on Thursday said was a shift in the relationship between Europe and the United States. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Myanmar's military government recaptures strategic town from rebels
BANGKOK — Myanmar 's military has recaptured a strategic gateway town from rebel forces after nearly a year, state-media reported Thursday, marking a rare turnaround in the country's northeast , where an alliance of ethnic militias seized a large swath of territory in an offensive that began in late 2023.
