The top Philippine envoy in Washington has expressed confidence that US support will remain steady in president-elect Donald Trump’s second term, as Manila seeks to prioritise its economic and defence cooperation following a string of maritime disputes with Beijing.
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However, should the US cut back its engagement, the Philippines is ready to work with regional partners, especially in maritime security and its defence strategy, Jose Manuel Romualdez said in an interview with the South China Morning Post.
“While we are hoping that the United States will continue to remain engaged, because they play an important role, if they decide to scale down … it only emphasises how important it is to have a multilateral approach,” Romualdez said.
That would include cooperation with nations like Japan, France and Australia as well as with Southeast Asian neighbours like Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, he added.
Romualdez is a veteran of Trump-era geopolitics, having been appointed Philippines ambassador to the US in 2017, the same year Trump began his first term. He said that Trump’s policy toward the Philippines would “remain the same”.
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