By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, A reporter
US President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choice for top diplomat urged China to stop “messing” with the Philippines and Taiwan, saying Washington would focus more on the Indo-Pacific region.
The US and China can avoid conflicts if this does not destabilize the Indo-Pacific region, Florida Senator and Secretary of State-designate Marco Antonio Rubio said in his confirmation hearing, based on a video broadcast live on Meta.
China should “stop messing with Taiwan and the Philippines, because it forces us to focus our attention in ways we don’t want to need,” he said.
Washington intends to maintain its defense commitments to the Philippines and Taiwan, warning China against any “unreasonable” actions against it.
“The actions they are taking now are very disturbing,” said Mr. Rubio. “They are forcing us to take action because we have security obligations in the Philippines and we have obligations in Taiwan that we intend to uphold.”
“If they want to maintain some form of stability in our relationship, since we are always in the world competition, and in some cases we are more against them than others, they really need to stop dealing with the Philippines and Taiwan,” he added.
The statement of Mr. Rubio clarified the questions that seek stability in US-Philippines relations under Mr. Trump, who will take office on January 20.
Mr. Trump is known for his America first policy, which raises questions for America’s allies in the region.
“These announcements from Secretary of State-designate Mr. Rubio undoubtedly show Trump’s attitude toward China even in his first term as the president of the United States,” said Josue Raphael J. Cortez, a communications instructor at De La Salle. -College of St. Benilde’s School of Diplomacy and Governance, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.
“We can expect that the path that the US will be following as it works to counter China’s influence and the strategic measures against the Philippines and Taiwan will be very similar to the strategies it used during the first Trump administration,” he added.
Mr. Rubio accused China of seeking to establish dominance in the region, which he said would have “historic consequences” for small nations.
The 53-year-old Republican said China believes “all roads lead back to Beijing.” But countries like Australia, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam do not consider themselves “states,” he pointed out.
Mr. Cortez said that given China’s ongoing efforts to counter Manila and Taiwan, “it is also possible that without following the same path, the US may strengthen and expand its presence in the region.”
“All this is done to help both countries in ensuring the integrity and security of their territory,” he added.
‘GEOPOLITICAL GAME’
Ensuring the right geopolitical balance between the US and China should be Washington’s main strategy, Mr. Rubio, who has served in the Senate since 2011, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s nomination hearing that lasted nearly five hours.
Regarding Taiwan, he said Washington should make China understand that the cost of attacking the island it controls will be higher than the benefit.
“I think that’s important, not just to protect Taiwan (but) to prevent military intervention in the Indo-Pacific.”
Mr. Rubio described China as “the most powerful and dangerous enemy” the US has ever faced.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, including parts of the waterway that fall within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Manila on Tuesday accused China of intimidating Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal and normalizing its “illegal presence” after Beijing sent its largest coast guard vessel into the Philippine EEZ.
The large vessel, which was first discovered near the coast of Zambales on Jan. 4, was last seen 77 nautical miles west of Capones Island, the Philippine Coast Guard said on Tuesday.
“According to the US’ ‘ironclad’ commitment to us – popularized by Trump in his first term – and our very close relationship with Washington under the Marcos regime, we can expect many agreements between the two leaders considering that even the Republicans are also very high. appreciate the security bonds that build America and the world,” said Mr. Cortez.
“The Indo-Pacific is the West’s gateway to further expand its trade with Southeast and East Asia, so it is part and parcel of their national interest to have greater involvement in its affairs,” he added.
Ateneo Policy Center Director Michael Henry Ll. Yusingco said the Marcos government should resist the temptation to use Mr. Rubio in his national security message.
“This is how the US makes power, but the Marcos government should not rely on this as a binding commitment,” he said in a Messenger interview.
He urged the government to create a region that follows the national security policy by “highlighting what we must do to protect ourselves.” “We must show inner strength and be determined to protect our sovereignty and our way of life. We should not behave like a former US colony,” he added.
“The US is an alliance and its politicians can bully their enemies all they want,” said Mr. It’s a joke. “But we should not allow ourselves to be the pawns in their geopolitical game.”
“The Marcos administration should not present itself as the mouthpiece of the US in Asia. Therefore, he should not combine this noise with our messages of protecting the country,” he added.
Also on Thursday, representatives of the Philippines and China met in Xiamen, Fujian in China – the hometown of the majority of Chinese Filipinos – for ten of them.th bilateral consultation in the South China Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines (DFA) said in a statement.
DFA Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong had “frank and constructive discussions” on the situation in the South China Sea and other bilateral issues.
“Our position is clear and we agree, but so is our willingness to participate in negotiations,” said Ms. Lazaro in her opening speech. “We firmly believe that despite the unresolved challenges and disagreements, there is real room for political and pragmatic cooperation in dealing with our problems in the South China Sea.”
The two sides exchanged views on the Philippines’ patrol and rehabilitation missions BRP Sierra Madre on Second Thomas Shoal and “agreed to continue its implementation in order to maintain the de-escalation of conflicts without prejudice to national positions.”
The Philippines has also expressed serious concern about the recent activities of Chinese Coast Guard vessels including its flagship near Philippine waters. This is not in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, it said.
“The meeting agreed to renew the cooperation platform for the coast guard,” DFA said. “The two sides also identified ocean meteorology as a focus area for the joint workshop on marine science.”
The Philippines will host the next round of bilateral consultations at a later date, it said.
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