LIVE: Pete Hegseth Pledges US Support for Manila Against China, Extending Ties in Asia-Pacific |N18G

LIVE: Pete Hegseth Pledges US Support for Manila Against China Extending Ties in Asia-Pacific | CNBC TV18
MANILA, PHILIPPINES- U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference after their bilateral meeting in Manila.
US, Philippines must stand ‘shoulder to shoulder’ against China threat: Hegseth. The US defence chief told Philippine President Marcos that deterrence was needed in the South China Sea due to Beijing’s actions.
The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, has met with the Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos, in Manila saying the two countries must stand “shoulder to shoulder” in the face of the threat represented by China.
Hegseth’s meeting at the presidential palace comes as he opens a tour of Pacific allies that risks being overshadowed by a mounting scandal over leaked plans for military strikes.
“Deterrence is necessary around the world but specifically in this region, in your country, considering the threats from the Communist Chinese,” he said
Hegseth’s Manila visit, to be followed by trips to Tokyo and second world war battleground Iwo Jima, follows months of confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed South China Sea.
Beijing claims almost the entirety of the crucial waterway despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit.
“Friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict to ensure that there’s free navigation, whether you call it the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea,” Hegseth said.
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