Trump assures Marcos to take sea dispute with China

US President Donald Trump has assured President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that he would help resolve the sea dispute between the Philippines and China when he meets Beijing’s leader in Washington.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and US President Donald Trump meet at the White House during President Marcos’s working visit to the US last July 2025. Official handout.

Manuel Mogato | July 24, 2026

MANILA — US President Donald Trump has assured President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that he would help resolve the sea dispute between the Philippines and China when he meets Beijing’s leader in Washington.

Trump’s assurances were made during a phone call with Marcos, according to Presidential Communications Secretary Dave Gomez.

“President Trump assured President Marcos that he will take up the concerns of the Philippines in his next meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping,” Gomez said in a statement. (Also read: Rubio says China escalates action on Ayungin Shoal)

Gomez said President Marcos had a phone conversation with the US president on Thursday, and “they discussed the current global, economic and security.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to visit Washington later this year for a discussion with President Trump, the second face-to-face meeting this year. Trump visited China early this year. (Also read: Dialogue with China Is Imperative: Trump–Xi Summit Proved It)

The phone conversation came a day after President Marcos met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Malacañan Palace.

It was during a meeting with Rubio that President Marcos raised the Philippines’ concern about the escalating tensions between Manila and Beijing in the West Philippine Sea. (Also read: ASEAN makes headway in Myanmar, Code of Conduct negotiations)

On Tuesday, President Marcos summoned the Chinese top diplomat in Manila, Jing Quan, to express Manila’s sentiment about the violent confrontation between the Philippines and China on Ayungin Shoal.

A day earlier, members of China’s Coast Guard struck a Philippine Navy sailor with a wooden baton, resulting in a serious head injury.

President Marcos visited the two naval personnel in a military hospital and awarded them medals. He also handed out financial aid.

In a separate press conference, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Marcos relayed to China’s ambassador his intent to “reset” the Philippines’ relations with China.

Castro said the president has also been seeking an end to violent confrontations in the disputed waters.