Hegseth Says Deterrence Necessary in Face of China Threats During Philippines Visit

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States and the Philippines must ‘stand shoulder-to-shoulder’ in the face of threats posed by China.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (L), with Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines General Romeo Brawner Jr., inspect honor guards during his visit at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon city, Philippines, on March 28, 2025. Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that deterrence is necessary in the South China Sea considering the threat from communist China, and he emphasized that the United States and the Philippines must stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” to ensure stability in the region.

Hegseth made the Philippines the first stop of his Asia trip on March 28, followed by Japan, a move that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said sent a “strong message” about Washington’s commitment to their alliance.

During their televised meeting, Hegseth told Marcos that President Donald Trump “thinks very fondly of this great country” and expressed a desire to strengthen defense cooperation with the Philippines.

“He and I both want to express the ironclad commitment we have to the Mutual Defense Treaty and to the partnership, economically, militarily,” the Pentagon chief said at the meeting, which was broadcast by the Philippines’ president.

Hegseth affirmed that the United States recognizes the Philippines’ stance on the disputed South China Sea—where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims sovereignty over nearly the entire sea, including reefs and islands that overlap with the exclusive economic zones of neighboring countries—and underscored the need for the two allied nations to work together to deter threats.

“Deterrence is necessary around the world, but specifically in this region, in your country, considering the threats from the communist Chinese and that friends need to stand shoulder-to-shoulder to deter conflict, to ensure that there’s free navigation,” he said.

Hegseth added, “Whether you call it the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea, we recognize that your country [has stood] very firm in that location and in defense of your nation.”

In response, Marcos said that his nation has not only viewed the United States as its sole treaty partner, but also as “the greatest force for peace in this part of the world.”

The Philippines was a U.S. colony from 1898 to 1946. The two are bound by a 1951 mutual defense treaty, which dictates that the United States and the Philippines will defend each other if either party is under attack.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun has warned that any defense agreements between the United States and the Philippines “should not target any third party” or harm its interests.

“Those who willingly serve as chess pieces will be deserted in the end,” Guo told reporters on March 25, as he warned the Philippines against any involvement in U.S. defense strategy.

The South China Sea is a vital maritime trade route claimed in part by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.

In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the legal action taken by the Philippines, finding that Beijing’s territorial claims over the disputed waters had no legal basis.

But the CCP refused to accept this ruling and has continuously sent its navy, coast guard, and maritime militia vessels within the territorial waters claimed by the Philippines. Manila has condemned Chinese vessels for repeatedly ramming, using water cannons, and firing flares at its coast guard vessels operating in its Exclusive Economic Zone.

Marcos earlier proposed a deal with the CCP, offering to remove the U.S. Typhon missile system from his country if China ceases its coercive actions in the South China Sea.

Beijing has repeatedly objected to the presence of the missile system on Philippine soil, which the U.S. Army deployed in April 2024 during a military exercise.

“We don’t make any comments on their missile systems, and their missile systems are a thousand times more powerful than what we have,” Marcos told reporters on Jan. 30.

The Typhon system is a land-based, ground-launched system that can fire the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile. The latter can travel more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers), which puts parts of mainland China within their range.

Lily Zhou contributed to this report.