US approves $7.5b fighter-jet sale to the Philippines

WASHINGTON – The United States said on April 1 that it has approved a sale of US$5.58 billion (S$7.5 billion) in F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, as Washington backs its ally in rising tensions over China.

The US State Department said it was green-lighting the sale, which includes 20 F-16 jets and related equipment, to the Philippines, a treaty-bound ally of the United States.

The sale will “improve the security of a strategic partner that continues to be an important force for political stability, peace and economic progress in South-east Asia”, a State Department statement said.

The sale will boost “the Philippine Air Force’s ability to conduct maritime domain awareness” and “enhance its suppression of enemy air defences”, it said.

The Philippines and China have seen months of escalating confrontations in the South China Sea. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the crucial waterway, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit.

A State Department spokesperson said on April 2 that the deal would be final only after “a signed letter of offer and acceptance” was received from the “purchasing partner”.

Philippine Defence Department spokesman Arsenio Andolong told AFP he had “not received any official notice of such a decision”.

But China warned Manila against the purchase, saying the Philippines was “threatening” regional peace.

“The Philippines’ defence and security cooperation with other countries should not target any third party or harm the interests of a third party. Nor should it threaten regional peace and security or exacerbate regional tensions,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

Manila and Washington have deepened their defence cooperation since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos took office in 2022 and began pushing back on Beijing’s sweeping South China Sea claims.

In December, the Philippines angered China when it said it planned to acquire the US mid-range Typhon missile system in a push to secure its maritime interests.

Beijing warned such a purchase could spark a regional “arms race”.

‘Inevitably involved’

President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to redirect US military efforts to Asia to face a rising China, especially as tensions rise over Taiwan, and to lessen involvement in Europe despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On April 1, as Chinese ships and warplanes surrounded Taiwan in a simulated blockade, Philippine military chief Romeo Brawner said his country would “inevitably” be involved should the self-ruled island be invaded.

“Start planning for actions in case there is an invasion of Taiwan,” he told troops in northern Luzon island, without naming the potential invader.

“Because if something happens to Taiwan, inevitably we will be involved.”

General Brawner also said the bulk of April’s joint military exercises would be conducted in northern Luzon, the part of the Philippines nearest Taiwan.

“These are the areas where we perceive the possibility of an attack. I do not want to sound alarmist, but we have to prepare,” he added.

Asked about Gen Brawner’s comments, Mr Guo said resolving “the Taiwan issue is a matter for the Chinese people”.

“We advise certain individuals in the Philippines not to play with fire or make provocations on the Taiwan issue – those who play with fire will only get burned,” Mr Guo said.

On a recent visit to Manila, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed to “re-establish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region” in the light of “threats from the communist Chinese”.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reiterated US defence commitments to the Philippines, a contrast to the Trump administration’s frequent talk of “freeloading” off the United States by allies in Europe. AFP