S.Res. 409

119 SRES 409 IS: Recognizing the 74th anniversary of the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines and the strong bilateral security alliance between our two nations in the wake of escalating aggression and political lawfare by the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea.
 U.S. Senate
 2025-09-18
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  III
  119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
  S. RES. 409
  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
  September 18 (legislative day,
  September 16), 2025
  Mr. Ricketts  (for himself,  Mr. Coons ,  Mr.
  Cornyn ,  Mr. Kaine ,  Mr. Scott of Florida ,  Mr.
  Schatz ,  Mr. Cruz ,  Mr. Van Hollen ,  Mr.
  Budd ,  Ms. Duckworth ,
  Mrs. Fischer , and  Mr. Bennet ) submitted the following resolution; which
  was referred to the  Committee on Foreign
  Relations
  RESOLUTION
Recognizing the 74th anniversary of the signing of the Mutual
  Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines and the strong bilateral
  security alliance between our two nations in the wake of escalating aggression and
  political lawfare by the People’s Republic of China in the South China
  Sea.
Whereas the United States and the Philippines have maintained diplomatic relations for 79 years, founded on the basis of deeply interconnected strategic and economic interests and close bonds between our two populations;
Whereas the United States-Philippines partnership was forged in blood, as more than 20,000 Americans and hundreds of thousands of Filipinos were killed during the Philippines campaigns during World War II;
Whereas, following the Japanese invasion and occupation of the Philippines from 1941 to 1945, the former United States commonwealth secured its official independence on July 4, 1946;
Whereas, in March 1947, the United States and the Philippines signed a Military Bases Agreement;
Whereas, on August 30, 1951, the United States and the Philippines signed a Mutual Defense Treaty;
Whereas the Mutual Defense Treaty makes clear the United States-Philippine collective intent to resolve international disputes peacefully, undertake separate and joint development of the capacity to resist attack, and consult with one another when the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of the United States or the Philippines is under threat of external armed attack in the Pacific;
Whereas the Mutual Defense Treaty is the foundation of our security alliance and all other enabling defense agreements between the United States and the Philippines, including the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement;
Whereas the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement allows for a strengthened United States military presence in the Philippines to increase bilateral cooperation and interoperability and to provide training to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, with increased rotation of United States military personnel and assistance devoted to strengthening the territorial defense and humanitarian and maritime operations of the Philippines;
Whereas, in February 2023, the United States and the Philippines committed to designating four additional locations under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, increasing the total from five to nine;
Whereas those locations have strategic value for the United States and the Philippines, increase confidence in the alliance, and provide real opportunities for operational cooperation to advance shared security priorities;
Whereas the Mutual Defense Treaty serves as a deterrent against the increasing territorial aggression by the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea;
Whereas, in 2009, the People's Republic of China began unlawfully extending its territorial and sovereignty claims in the South China Sea under its  nine-dash line  construct, violating the territorial rights and internationally recognized exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam;
Whereas, since 2014, the People’s Republic of China has substantially expanded its ability to monitor and project power throughout the South China Sea via the construction of militarized artificial islands;
Whereas, on September 25, 2015, at the White House, President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping stated that  China does not intend to pursue militarization  of the Spratly Islands and China’s outposts would not  target or impact any country ;
Whereas, on July 12, 2016, the arbitral tribunal constituted under Annex VII to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea unanimously decided to invalidate the People’s Republic of China’s claim to nearly 90 percent of the South China Sea, including areas determined by the tribunal to be part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf;
Whereas, despite the decision being final and legally binding, the People’s Republic of China, which refused to participate in the arbitration, has continued to reject and further violate the decision;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has employed a variety of assertive and aggressive tactics against the Philippines, including through its coast guard, research vessels, and commercial maritime vessels, to coerce and enforce its arbitrary and unlawful territorial claims in the South China Sea, such as by ramming, shadowing, blocking, encircling, firing water cannons at, and using military-grade lasers against Philippine civilian ships and military vessels;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has repeatedly denied the Philippines from lawfully delivering humanitarian supplies to members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre at Second Thomas Shoal;
Whereas, on June 17, 2024, coast guard sailors from the People's Republic of China brandished knives and other weapons in a clash with Philippine naval vessels attempting to resupply marines on Second Thomas Shoal, resulting in a severe injury to a member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines;
Whereas, on August 27, 2024, the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Paparo, said the United States military is open to consultations with the Philippines about escorting Philippine ships delivering food and other supplies to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the South China Sea;
Whereas, on December 4, 2024, Chinese Coast Guard and PLA Navy vessels conducted dangerous maneuvers near Scarborough Shoal, deploying water cannons against Philippine Coast Guard vessels;
Whereas, on February 18, 2025, a Chinese PLA Navy helicopter flew as close as 3 meters above a Philippine aircraft conducting a routine flight over Scarborough Shoal;
Whereas, in March 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited the Philippines for his first trip to an Indo-Pacific partner, and committed to deploy additional advanced military capabilities to the Philippines, conduct bilateral training between both nations for high-end operations, prioritize bilateral defense industrial cooperation, and launch a bilateral cyber campaign;
Whereas, in April 2025, the Chinese Coast Guard temporarily deployed on Sandy Cay, an unoccupied reef located two miles from Manila’s largest outpost in the South China Sea, and placed a Chinese flag, indicating an intention to annex, expand, and possibly militarize the feature;
Whereas, in May 2025, the United States and the Philippines conducted Exercise Balikatan 2025, the largest-ever iteration in its 40-year history that included participation by more than 14,000 U.S., Filipino, Australian, and Japanese service members as well as the first deployment of the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS);
Whereas, on August 11, 2025, a China Coast Guard vessel executed a dangerous maneuver and collided with a Chinese Navy vessel as it was harassing a Philippine Coast Guard vessel conducting a humanitarian mission within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone at Scarborough Shoal; and
Whereas August 30, 2025, marked the 74th anniversary of the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)
celebrates the 74th anniversary of the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines and the longstanding alliance between our two nations;
(2)
appreciates the trust of the Philippine people in the bilateral alliance and their support for increased defense cooperation and United States military presence in the Philippines;
(3)
acknowledges the determination of the people and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to resist coercion by the People's Republic of China;
(4)
condemns the People's Republic of China’s unprovoked aggression and political lawfare in the South China Sea to enforce its unlawful territorial and sovereignty claims;
(5)
rejects the People’s Republic of China’s coercive and destabilizing plans to establish a so-called  national nature reserve  at Scarborough Reef;
(6)
reaffirms that Article IV of the Mutual Defense Treaty extends to armed attacks on the Armed Forces, public vessels, or aircraft of the Philippines, including the Philippine Coast Guard, anywhere in the South China Sea;
(7)
considers aggression by the People's Republic of China in the Philippines’ internationally recognized exclusive economic zone to be a direct assault on its sovereignty and territorial integrity;
(8)
urges the President to continue to take appropriate and necessary actions in response to escalatory behavior of the People's Republic of China in order to restore deterrence and help the Philippines defend itself;
(9)
supports the unwavering commitment of the United States to deepening security cooperation with the Philippines, including advancing Philippine defense modernization and enhancing interoperability through military exercises, training, joint patrols, and increased information sharing;
(10)
supports other nations growing their political and security partnerships with the Philippines;
(11)
commits to advance cooperation among the United States, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and Australia; and
(12)
reaffirms the commitment of the United States to the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, respecting maritime rights under international law, and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific.