Cheyenne Suarez

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives in PH to attend ASEAN meetings

Article (news)

Jervis Manahan

ABS-CBN News

MANILA— US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in the Philippines to attend a series of ASEAN meetings.Rubio confirmed his arrival in a social media post.&quot;Just landed in Manila, Philippines to participate in meetings with ASEAN leaders and the East Asia Summit,&quot; he said on X.US Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton welcomed Rubio, who&#x27;s attending meetings amidst renewed tensions in the South China Sea and the Middle East.Prior to his visit, Rubio said he is open to meeting his Chinese and Russian counterparts.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is also in Manila for the Post Ministerial Conferences of ASEAN in Manila.Rubio&#x27;s attendance is widely seen as a counter to China&#x27;s growing influence in the region.Also on Tuesday, the US slammed China&#x27;s aggresive actions in the West Philippine Sea which resulted to an injury of a Filipino Navy personnel.Rubio is also expected to pay a courtesy call to President Bongbong Marcos on Wednesday.<div> </div>ASEAN and the USIn a note shared by the US Embassy, Rubio said the relationship between ASEAN and the US has deepened.&quot;The shared interests between the United States and the nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are deeper today than at any point in our nations’ histories. For decades, American capital, companies, and expertise have powered the region’s extraordinary economic rise,&quot; Rubio said.&quot;As a result, the United States now stands among Southeast Asia’s top sources of foreign direct investment and trade – and U.S. commercial activity in the region supported some 625,000 American jobs,&quot; he added.Rubio said the United States has &quot;long recognized that a secure, sovereign Southeast Asia advances the interests of both our nation and the ASEAN powers.&quot;&quot;For decades, ASEAN has kept its eleven member states largely free of major conflict, backed by indispensable U.S. support. American commitment to freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia is driven by our recognition that the sea lanes that run through the region are the arteries of the modern world, carrying energy, food, manufactured goods, and the raw materials of twenty-first century industry,&quot; he said.Rubio sounded a warning on the freedom of navigation on waters in Southeast Asia.&quot;That freedom is by no means guaranteed. If those waters fall under the control of a power willing to use commerce as a geopolitical weapon, both the United States and the ASEAN states would face dire new threats to their sovereignty, security, and economic futures,&quot; he said.Rubio also underscored the importance of the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling on the South China Sea, which is final and binding.  &quot;In the face of common challenges, our allies must play an active role in deterring conflict and protecting their sovereign interests in the region. And America is stepping up as well. For example, we are providing $100 million to support the Philippines’ ability to defend itself and resist coercion aimed at forcing the region into submission,&quot; he said.&quot;The United States will continue to stand for lawful maritime rights and freedom of navigation in the region. And we will honor our obligations to the Philippines and other allies as they confront new and coercive threats to our shared interests,&quot; he added. Rubio also highlighted the path forward for US and the ASEAN.&quot;Nearly 50 years into our relationship with ASEAN, we are more committed than ever to a partnership grounded in sovereignty and shared prosperity,&quot; he said.&quot;Together, we will keep the sea lanes that sustain global commerce free and open. We will unlock new opportunities for workers and businesses across both the United States and Southeast Asia. And we will ensure the region remains free to determine its own future.  That is a future worth building together – for the United States, for ASEAN, and for generations to come,&quot; Rubio ended.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in the Philippines to attend a series of ASEAN meetings.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in the Philippines to attend a series of ASEAN meetings.