Philippines' Top Diplomat Maps Strategy for Navigating U.S.-China Rivalry

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Theresa Lozano laid out the Philippines' playbook for managing intensifying great-power competition, chairing ASEAN through converging crises, and strengthening defense and economic ties with the United States and Japan during an on-the-record session at the Council on Foreign Relations on Sept. 23, 2026.

• Philippines expands military partnerships to six nations under visiting forces agreements, deploys Typhon missiles, and calls the U.S. defense relationship "ironclad"
• Manila enters negotiations on the Luzon Economic Corridor with the U.S., seeking to diversify beyond 60% semiconductor trade dependence
• Code of Conduct for the South China Sea remains unfinished after two decades, with definitional disputes persisting within ASEAN itself
• Energy price spikes from the Strait of Hormuz closure force government subsidies for transport workers and low-income Filipinos
• ASEAN Digital Framework Agreement headed for signing by economic ministers in early November ahead of the leaders' summit
• Humanitarian mission to Myanmar announced, with Thailand and Singapore joining the Philippines below Naypyidaw

The basics: The U.S.-Philippines defense relationship spans 80 years of diplomatic ties and 70 years under the Mutual Defense Treaty. Under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), the U.S. has access to nine Philippine military facilities.