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US-Philippine alliance: Shared interests and subtle nuances
The US National Security Strategy identifies some shared interests between the US and the Philippines, but there are nuances in the strategic calculus when it comes to Taiwan and the South China Sea.
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A photo dated May 6, 2017, shows Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey transiting the South China Sea.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Mico A Galang
In October 2022, the Biden administration released its National Security Strategy (NSS) which identified the Indo-Pacific region as the “epicentre of 21st century geopolitics”, with China as the only competitor with both the intent and capability to reshape the international order. To advance its goal of a “free, open, prosperous, and secure international order”, Washington reaffirmed its commitments to treaty allies and pledged to “modernise these alliances”.
This might appear to underscore the convergence in views between the United States and the Philippines, particularly on hot spots such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. But there are subtle differences in perspectives between the two allies that warrant some examination.
