US State Secretary assures allies at Manila security talks

MANILA — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reassured Asian allies on Thursday that Washington’s efforts to maintain positive ties with Beijing would not mean abandoning its partners in the region, as top diplomats gathered for a regional security meeting amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Speaking a day after meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, where they discussed preparations for a possible September visit to the United States by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Rubio said cooperation with China would not come at the expense of Washington’s close allies.

“We’re already present. We have a role, and we’re not going to abandon our allies. We’ve made that abundantly clear,” Rubio told reporters.

“These are the two most powerful economies in the world, two large militaries, two nuclear powers. We have to have a relationship with China. We want it to be as positive as it possibly can be, but that won’t come at the expense of our allies and our partners in the region, or our presence here either,” he said.

Rubio earlier attended the East Asia Summit in Manila and the security-focused ASEAN Regional Forum, where foreign ministers called for stronger cooperation amid global security challenges and renewed hostilities in the Middle East.

The conflict in Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have become major concerns for Asian countries, including the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which relies heavily on Middle East oil supplies and represents one of the world’s largest economic regions.

“We convene against the backdrop of profound geopolitical and geoeconomic uncertainty,” Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro said in her opening remarks.

“No nation can address today’s complex security environment alone,” she added.

Iran will pay higher price every day, Rubio says

The U.S. military carried out a 12th consecutive night of attacks on Iran on Wednesday, while Iranian-aligned Houthi forces claimed attacks on two Saudi oil tankers the following day.

The developments raised concerns over further disruptions to global oil supplies, with potential threats emerging in both the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for energy exports.

Rubio criticized Iran’s approach to diplomacy, saying Tehran had repeatedly sought negotiations while continuing to delay progress toward a possible agreement.

“It looks like they’re not ready to make a deal, so they’re going to continue to pay a price, and every night the price gets higher and higher and higher,” Rubio said.

Security concerns at the Manila meetings also extended beyond the Middle East, with tensions continuing in the South China Sea.

A second maritime encounter in four days took place between China and U.S. ally the Philippines, which Washington is treaty-bound to defend in the event of an armed attack on its vessels.

China has deployed a large coast guard presence across the South China Sea and claims sovereignty over nearly the entire waterway, including areas within the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

‘Provocative actions’

China’s coast guard on Thursday accused the Philippines of taking “provocative actions” and said it had prevented an intrusion at Scarborough Shoal, one of the South China Sea’s most contested areas.

Manila said the encounter involved the use of water cannons by Chinese vessels.

The incident followed a confrontation on Monday between Chinese coast guard ships and Philippine navy personnel at another disputed reef about 650 kilometers (400 miles) away, also within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. The dispute prompted both countries to summon each other’s ambassadors.

“The whole world saw it. It’s disturbing,” Rubio said.

“That’s why we continue to reiterate our commitment to our treaty partners, but also our commitment to freedom of navigation and respect for territorial rights,” he added.

Wang was absent from Thursday’s plenary meetings due to what Beijing described as a scheduling conflict involving meetings in Kyrgyzstan. A day earlier, Wang urged ASEAN countries to cooperate with China to maintain peace in the South China Sea and “resist the incitement of foreign forces.”

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said he met Wang on the sidelines of the gathering, marking their first one-on-one interaction since relations between Asia’s two largest economies deteriorated late last year.

As ministers met in Manila, China’s maritime authorities announced two days of live-fire drills in parts of the Taiwan Strait near Fujian province.

The exercises followed military drills in December that were described as China’s most extensive operations around Taiwan, a self-governed island that Beijing claims as its territory.

The war in Ukraine was also discussed during the meetings. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with Rubio on the sidelines on Thursday, lasting just under an hour.

Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s readiness for a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict, while Rubio said Washington was prepared to play a constructive role in ending what he called a “senseless war,” although reaching terms acceptable to all sides remained a challenge.

-Reporting by Mikhail Flores, Karen Lema, Nestor Corrales, and Michael Martina in Manila, Liz Lee in Beijing, and John Geddie in Tokyo; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by David Stanway, Clarence Fernandez, and Alison Williams/Reuters