New U.S. Secretary of State Rubio criticized China’s “dangerous” actions against the Philippines in the South China Sea.

New U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured Manila that Washington is “ironclad” in its commitment to defend the Philippines and counter threats from the Philippines. China’s provocations in the South China Seaduring his first phone call with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

Rubio also criticized Beijing’s “dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea” in a call with Manalo on Wednesday, a move the top U.S. diplomat said violated international law.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement, “Secretary Rubio stated that (China’s) actions undermine regional peace and stability and are inconsistent with international law.”

“Armed attacks in the Pacific, including anywhere in the Pacific South China SeaThe U.S. Department of State states that it enforces its mutual defense commitments aboard its public vessels, aircraft, or armed forces, including the Coast Guard.

Washington and the Philippines, a former U.S. colony, signed a Mutual Defense Treaty in 1951 that stipulates that the two countries will defend each other in the face of attack.

Rubio’s conference call with his Philippine counterpart came a day after a Quad meeting with officials from India, Japan and Australia on the Quad Security Dialogue.

In a veiled warning to Beijing, the four-nation diplomatic and security group, known as the Quad, said they supported a “free and open Indo-Pacific” region “where the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected.” Persevere and defend”.

“We also strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo through force or coercion,” they said in a statement.

China has extensive sovereignty claims Covering most of the South China Sea, it infringes upon the maritime claims of many Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines.

In 2016, in a dispute brought by Manila against Beijing, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea lacked any legal basis.

Beijing rejected the ruling, but it had little impact on China’s increasingly assertive actions in the disputed waters.

Chinese and Philippine vessels have been involved in increasingly tense confrontations over the past year over disputed islands, waters and reefs in the region.

On January 14, the Philippines criticized China’s deployment “Monster Ship” Inside Manila’s exclusive marine economic zone, it said the Chinese Coast Guard’s actions were shocking and aimed at intimidating fishermen operating near the disputed shoal.

“This is an escalation and a provocation,” National Security Council spokesman Jonathan Malaya said at the time, adding that the ship’s presence was “illegal” and “unacceptable.”

In response, the Philippine Navy held “sovereignty patrols” and live-fire exercises near the shoal, followed by joint military exercises with the United States.

That week, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army also conducted military combat readiness exercises in the disputed waters.

Scarborough Shoal is one of the hotly contested coral reef chains in the South China Sea. China is located within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and has de facto control over the shoal.