US Asistant Secretary of State DeSombre to visit PH, other countries from May 31 to June 10

By GMA News

Published June 3, 2026 10:06am

US Asistant Secretary of State DeSombre to visit PH, other countries from May 31 to June 10

Michael George DeSombre, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs of United States, speaks during Security Council meeting on Upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and strengthening the UN-centered international system at UN Headquarters in New York, NY on May 26, 2026. China organized this meeting as it is a President of Security Council for the month of May. © Lev Radin/Pacific Press via ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters

The United States’ Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael George DeSombre is set to visit several countries including the Philippines from May 31 to June 10.

“Assistant Secretary Michael George DeSombre will travel to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Brunei, and the Philippines, May 31-June 10,” the US Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on May 30.

“During the trip, he will engage with government and private sector counterparts to advance a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” it added.

Assistant Secretary Michael George DeSombre will travel to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Brunei, and the Philippines, May 31-June 10. During the trip, he will engage with government and private sector counterparts to advance a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
— Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (@USAsiaPacific) May 29, 2026

Recently, the Philippines has reaffirmed its long-standing alliance with the US as the two countries mark the 75th anniversary of their Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) amid growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific Region.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. congratulated US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for his plenary address at the sidelines of the International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday.

Hegseth underscored the Philippines’ strong support for the US commitment to strengthening partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.

Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country’s claim.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has refused to recognize the decision. — Joviland Rita/RSJ, GMA News

Tags: Michael George DeSombre