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By Micah McCartney
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The Philippines has welcomed a resolution introduced in the United States Senate condemning China’s territorial actions in the South China Sea and calling on President Donald Trump to take “necessary actions” to assist the U.S. ally.
Why It Matters
The resolution comes amid a broader push by the U.S. to leverage Pacific partnerships to counter China's growing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
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Tensions remain high in the Philippines’ long-running territorial dispute with China, which claims sovereignty over nearly 90 percent of the South China Sea, a vital waterway through which an estimated one-fifth of global maritime trade passes each year.
Increasing Chinese coast guard, navy, and research activity inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone has resulted in confrontations, collisions, and several Philippine injuries, bringing renewed attention to the country’s Mutual Defense Treaty with the U.S.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Philippine military by email with requests for comment.
What To Know
Senate Resolution No. 409, introduced last month by Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), would mark the 74th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the “strong bilateral security alliance between our two nations in the wake of escalating aggression and political lawfare by the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea.”
The text reiterates the long-standing position of both the Trump and former Biden administrations that the treaty extends to any Philippine military or civilian asset anywhere in the South China Sea. It also urges trump to "continue to take appropriate and necessary actions in response to escalatory behavior" by Chinese forces.
Philippine national security adviser Eduardo Año issued a statement on Friday praising the pending resolution.
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“This strong and unequivocal language of the Senate resolution sends a clear signal that the world is watching and the Philippines is not alone,” he said. “The resolution’s recognition that the MDT covers any attack on Philippine forces, vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea underscores the enduring strength of our alliance and the resolve to stand together against illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions.”
The resolution condemns what it calls “unprovoked aggression and political lawfare” and rejects China’s sovereignty claims, citing a 2016 decision by a Hague-based tribunal decision that largely sided with the Philippines.
It also notes that Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, has said Washington is open to talks with Manila about providing naval escorts for resupply missions to the Philippines-held Second Thomas Shoal, a flashpoint in the Spratly Islands that has seen some of the most serious recent confrontations.
China did not take part in the arbitral proceedings and maintains the tribunal’s decision is invalid. Chinese officials have cited early-20th-century agreements to argue certain disputed features were returned to China after World War II.
Tensions have been running especially high since August, when a Chinese navy destroyer and a coast guard vessel collided near Scarborough Shoal while seeking to disrupt a Philippine government resupply mission. Philippine officials believe at least two Chinese personnel lost their lives in the incident.
Last month, Beijing unilaterally declared a “nature reserve” over a large swath of Scarborough—an act Western analysts have described as “lawfare,” or the use of legal mechanisms to reinforce territorial control.
What's Next
China has not yet issued an official statement on the resolution, but officials have frequently criticized outside involvement in what Beijing views as a bilateral dispute and accused the Philippines of serving as an unwitting pawn in alleged U.S. efforts to contain China.
China is expected to continue pressing its claims within the Philippines’ maritime zone, setting the stage for further potential confrontations. Manila has vowed not to back down, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pledging not to yield “one square inch” of waters claimed by the Philippines.
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