US: Security deal with Phl, Obama visit not at China's expense

MANILA, Philippines — The White House dismissed comments that China's containment is among the goals of the new military cooperation agreement with the Philippines as well as American President Barack Obama's trip to Asia Pacific this week.

"Is the President’s trip – is it focused on containment of China? And the simple answer is no," US Senior Director for Asian Affairs Evan Medeiros, who is also special assistant to Obama, said in a press conference in Washington, DC on Tuesday.

He also shrugged off the claim as it "doesn't make any sense," citing the US' $500-billion trading relationship with China.

Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication Ben Rhodes said in the same press briefing the ongoing security talks with the Philippines are focused on "mutual interests" of Asia Pacific countries such as disaster mitigation, counter-piracy, free flow of commerce and open sea lanes.

"This type of cooperation is not at any country's expense; it's certainly not at China's expense. It's in support of the broader stability of the region, and in particular the security of our ally, the Philippines," Rhodes said.

Medeiros, meanwhile, said that America only aims to reaffirm its commitment to the security of the Philippines, most notably in terms of disaster response.

"When we talk about modernizing our alliances, especially with the Philippines, it's first and foremost focused on those goals [of humanitarian assistance], as well as making sure that we're meeting our classic alliance commitments as well," Medeiros said.'

Related: US-Philippines deal won't stop China in disputed sea - analyst

He also explained that modernizing the old alliance between the two countries means ensuring challenges of "both traditional security threats as well as non-traditional security threats" are met.

The US also sees the aim of having rotational military presence in the Philippines to be somewhat parallel to its presence in Japan, from where American troops were deployed to respond to needs after Supertyphoon Yolanda. The US has an existing defense treaty with  both Japan and the Philippines.

Rhodes added that the US' increased engagement with Southeast Asian countries as part of its strategic "pivot" aims to maintain "very constructive" ties with China, despite its maritime dispute with neighbors worsened by its show of military muscle in contested waterways.

"Ultimately we’re – what we’re seeking to build, together in partnership with other Asian and Pacific nations, is a rules-based architecture for how you resolve economic disputes, how you resolve territorial disputes, so that there doesn’t need to be tension and conflict," Rhodes said.

"That's the framework in which I think people should see our increased cooperation with the Philippines and the President's trip more broadly," he added.