China could view recent cuts to US-South Korean military exercises as an opportunity to reassert itself in the Indo-Pacific, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Monday, while stressing that Washington had assured Manila its commitments to the Philippines remained unchanged.
Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the Seoul Defense Dialogue, Teodoro said there had been no reduction in US-Philippine military activities. Instead, bilateral and multilateral cooperation involving Manila continued to expand, despite concerns among security analysts over the implications of Washington’s decision to scale back military exercises with South Korea.
US President Donald Trump’s decision last month to reduce the exercises has prompted debate over the credibility of US deterrence in Asia and whether rivals such as China could interpret the move as evidence of weakening American resolve.
“It is a possibility, of course. China is very quick to exploit gaps,” Teodoro said when asked whether Beijing could seize on the changes. “If we’re talking about the Indo-Pacific as a whole, then it may signal some opportunity for China to reassert itself.”
Teodoro nevertheless said Manila had received “definite assurances” from Washington and that there was “no indication” the changes involving South Korea would affect commitments under the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.
The Philippines has deepened defence cooperation with the United States under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., including expanded joint exercises and greater access for US forces to Philippine military facilities. The closer partnership has developed as tensions with China have intensified in the South China Sea.
At the same time, Manila is broadening its security relationships with other partners. Teodoro said the Philippines had recently concluded agreements with Canada and New Zealand, signed a visiting forces agreement with France and was negotiating a similar pact with Britain.
Teodoro also accused China of increasingly combining influence operations with military and maritime pressure. He said Beijing was taking advantage of democratic space and using free media to expand what he described as “distortive narratives”. Manila, he added, was pursuing stronger espionage and foreign influence legislation to counter such activities.
On possible joint oil and gas exploration talks with China, Teodoro struck a cautious tone. Asked about Marcos’ recent remarks that progress was being made towards economic cooperation, he said it would be “doubtful” that such projects could be separated from longstanding sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Teodoro’s remarks.
Teodoro was in Seoul for discussions aimed at expanding defence cooperation with South Korea, one of the Philippines’ largest arms suppliers. South Korea has supplied Manila with FA-50 light combat aircraft, frigates and other military equipment as the Philippines modernises its armed forces.
The defence chief said Manila was interested in deeper industrial cooperation and emerging defence technologies from South Korea. However, he indicated that the Philippines’ long-discussed submarine acquisition programme remained some way from implementation.
“The submarine program is still under review,” Teodoro said, citing questions over mission requirements and the substantial infrastructure needed to support such a capability. “I would say it will be still a way off.”
Teodoro said concerns over China’s actions were encouraging closer security cooperation among countries across the region and could eventually produce a more interconnected Indo-Pacific security network. “I believe so because the motivating factor there is China,” he said.
