Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pledged to bolster Manila’s capacity to push back against Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. greets U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on his arrival to the Presidential Palace in Manila, Philippines, March 28, 2025.
China’s military says that it conducted a patrol in the South China Sea on Friday, the same day that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived in Manila and reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to its alliance with the Philippines.
On Saturday, a spokesperson for the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said that it had conducted a “routine patrol” in the disputed waterway, according to a Chinese state media report.
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