US defense chief lauds Philippines for standing up to China

MANILA, Philippines — United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Friday lauded the Philippines for “standing up to China’s aggressive actions targeting lawful Philippine activities in the South China Sea.”

“I want to applaud the Philippines for their courage and clarity in the South China Sea, and their clear-eyed recognition of the challenges we face. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder in our pursuit of peace and stability in the region,” Hegseth told Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

At the meeting, Hegseth also reaffirmed his country’s committment to deepening defense cooperation in support of regional peace, resilience and a rules-based international order.

The US defense chief also emphasized the value of partnership, highlighting recent collaborative efforts, particularly the joint Balikatan exercise in April, the “largest in a long time,” with 14,000 troops of both countries involved.

“This speaks to the longstanding and ironclad relationship between our nations under the Mutual Defense Treaty,” he said.

The US State Department, in a readout of the meeting between Hegseth and Teodoro, said they discussed steps taken by the two countries together to reestablish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.

The State Department also said Hegseth and Teodoro celebrated the conclusion of the latest Balikatan exercises “which enhanced deterrence by enabling the two countries to train together and for the United States to deploy increasingly advanced capabilities, including the Typhon missile system, the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) and highly capable unmanned surface vessels.”

Teodoro, meanwhile, lauded the outcome of the recently concluded US-Southeast Asian Nations Ministerial Meeting and praised Hegseth’s strong engagement with his ASEAN counterparts.

“We just came off the heels of a very successful US-ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting, where Secretary Hegseth made a great impact – I could feel it among our counterparts here,” he said.

“It is proof of the Trump administration’s strong commitment to engage the ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific. We will continue to enhance both our bilateral and multilateral relationships, guided by our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he pointed out.

“The Philippines seeks peace, but it must be a sustainable peace – one grounded in our own resilience and reinforced through alliances with like-minded partners. We look forward to this meeting and to further strengthening our already robust defense relationship with the United States,” Teodoro said.

The Department of National Defense said the meeting between Teodoro and Hegseth “marks another milestone in the enduring partnership between the Philippines and the United States, built on mutual respect, shared values and a steadfast commitment to regional security.”

Also on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Teodoro met with his counterparts from Singapore and Australia to discuss interoperability, joint training and enhanced logistical cooperation.

Teodoro, during his meeting with Singapore defense chief Chan Chun Sing, highlighted the Philippines’ expansive training areas ideal for urban and airborne exercises and expressed interest in learning from Singapore’s experience in operating the C-130J aircraft.

In return, Chan invited Philippine special forces to conduct trainings in Singapore. He also expressed interest in reciprocal opportunities for Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) troops in the Philippines, as well as expanding collaboration in navigation flights; maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response.