Philippines warns China may reassert claims amid US-South Korea drill cuts

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro stated that Washington has given 'definite assurances' its commitments to Manila remain, amid concerns that US-South Korea military exercise reductions could signal a broader US retrenchment in the Indo-Pacific. The warning that China may reassert its claims in the South China Sea reflects Manila's heightened anxiety over US reliability. The development matters as it tests alliance credibility and could accelerate Philippine hedging or regional realignments.