US won't abandon the Philippines in fighting China's assertiveness at sea, Manila's envoy says

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Manila’s top envoy to Washington expressed confidence Tuesday that the United States will not abandon the Philippines as it fights Beijing's assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea — even as Donald Trump and Xi Jinping seek more direct talks to resolve differences.

Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez welcomed renewed talks between the U.S. and Chinese leaders, and said Manila should also try to “fine-tune” its relations with Beijing to allow for more trade engagement.

He said, however, that the Philippines will remain steadfast in defending its territorial interests in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety.

The U.S. and the Philippines, Washington’s oldest treaty ally in Asia, have been the most vocal critics of China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea, where Chinese forces have in recent years used powerful water cannons, flares and dangerous blocking maneuvers against Filipino forces at sea and in the air.

The U.S. has repeatedly warned China that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines if Filipino forces come under an armed attack. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the territorial standoffs but have avoided condemning China’s assertiveness.

Still, Romualdez's noted growing concerns that a U.S.-China rapprochement could sideline the Philippines. Trump plans a visit to China in April, which in turn could lead to Xi visiting the U.S. in return, he said.

“Some people are saying, 'Is there going to be a deal where we’re going to be thrown under the bus?’” Romualdez, a longtime critic of China’s actions in the disputed waters, told a news conference in Manila.

“Assurances are being made to us that, that’s absolutely not true,” Romualdez said, adding that U.S.-Philippine defense engagements are "increasing even more now.”

The U.S. Congress is working on a substantial financial appropriation to continue helping the Philippine military modernize its capabilities, said Romualdez, who is to visit the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii in April to discuss upcoming military and defense activities.

Last year, about 9,000 American and 5,000 Filipino military personnel took part in one of their largest annual combat drills in the Philippines in years. In one live-fire drill, U.S. and Filipino forces unleashed a barrage of missile and artillery fire that shot down several drones acting as hostile aircraft off a Philippine province facing the South China Sea.

China has fiercely opposed the mock battle scenarios as provocative.

The Philippines will also try to make our relationship with China "much better,” Romualdez said, adding that the two nations could cooperate on non-contentious issues such as climate change, manufacturing and alternative sources of energy.

“There is only one thing that’s permanent in this world, and that’s change," Romualdez said. "We cannot stay stuck in one place.”