Chinese intimidation against U.S. partners has continued despite Beijing’s signals that it wants to enter into trade talks with the Trump administration.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio exempted from his department’s ongoing aid freeze over $1 billion in foreign security assistance for Taiwan and the Philippines.
“The Secretary approved exemptions for defense aide to the Philippines and Taiwan, which is a strong message for China deterrence in the region,” a senior State Department official told National Review. The exemption covers $870 million for Taiwan and $336 for the Philippines, the official said.
Reuters first reported on the exemptions, which the outlet said were part of a broader tranche of $5 billion worth of State Department programs that received exemptions.
China’s military intimidation targeting these U.S. partners — both major recipients of U.S. security assistance programs — has continued, even as Beijing signals that it wants to enter into trade talks with the Trump administration.
Last week, Manila lodged a diplomatic complaint with Beijing after a Chinese helicopter engaged in “unprofessional” maneuvers near a Philippines jet over the Scarborough Shoal. Meanwhile, Chinese military aircraft and vessels continue to swarm near Taiwan every day, per daily updates published by Taipei’s ministry of defense.
On January 24, Rubio issued a department-wide stop order for all U.S. foreign assistance except for programs that fell under a handful of narrow categories, including lifesaving food assistance and aid to Israel and Egypt. The aid freeze is slated to last 90 days, pending the results of the Trump administration’s review of foreign aid programming. Rubio’s cable permitted State’s foreign assistance bureau to exempt programs from the freeze.
The Trump administration has taken early steps to emphasize Washington’s continued support for its partners in the Indo-Pacific, as both Taiwan and the Philippines face ongoing Chinese harassment campaigns. Recent diplomatic meetings in which President Trump and Rubio have each participated have resulted in statements with U.S. allies in the region opposing China’s “coercion.”
“We’re not going to live in a world in which China gets to dominate the Indo-Pacific and we’re not allowed to have commercial ties in that region because they’re holding countries hostage and they all become tributary states,” Rubio said in an interview with independent journalist Catherine Herridge last week.
“We are a Pacific nation. We intend to remain one and maintain our relationships there. So that is a red line for us.”