U.S. SUPPORT FOR TOKYO AND MANILA ‘IRONCLAD’
Biden-Kishida-Marcos Jnr summit represents ‘new era’ of partnership, with leaders revealing security, economic and diplomatic initiatives
US President Joe Biden, who held a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr at the White House, said their trilateral summit represented a “new era of a partnership” designed to show strong support for the Philippines as it comes under growing pressure from China.
In a show of unity with Manila, the leaders also announced a series of security, economic and diplomatic initiatives, including a “Luzon Economic Corridor” as part of a Group of 7 infrastructure programme, as well as a critical minerals processing plant.
“United States defence commitments to Japan, and to the Philippines, are ironclad, they’re ironclad,” Biden said in the East Room of the White House. “Any attack on Philippine aircraft vessels or armed forces in the South China Sea would invoke our mutual defence treaty.”
Last month saw two naval confrontations involving Chinese coastguard and maritime militia forces and the Philippine coastguard, the latest in a series of similar incidents in recent years.
Beijing asserts that more than 80 per cent of the South China Sea is its sovereign territory, putting some of this in contention with competing claims by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
The US-Japan-Philippines trilateral showcased on Thursday was the latest in a series of groupings started or reinvigorated by the Biden administration as it works to counter a more economically and militarily assertive China in the region.
“This meeting can be just a beginning,” said Marcos. “Facing the complex challenges of our time requires concerted efforts on everyone’s part, a dedication to a common purpose and an unwavering commitment to the rules based international order.”
One wrinkle in the US-Philippines mutual defence treaty, however, is that it was written to cover a military attack, not so-called grey-zone tactics that have often seen Chinese “fishing boats”, “maritime safety” and other vessels impede voyages by US, Philippines and other allied nations in actions that do not trigger the treaty.
The Japan-US-Philippines trilateral summit aims to make tangible US and Japanese encouragement for the Southeast Asian nation that has often found itself on the front lines of regional tension because of its position between the western Pacific’s first and second island chains.
“Freedom of the seas isn’t an abstraction for a country like the Philippines, with over 7,500 islands,” said Daniel Russel of the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former State Department official.
The summit follows Sunday’s joint US, Japanese, Australian and Philippines military patrols in the South China Sea involving six warships and four aircraft, with a pledge of more joint military and coastguard patrols ahead. China held its own patrol the same day, saying that foreign efforts to “sabotage the situation” were well under control.
The US had also supported the Philippines at this “difficult moment” by raising concerns about the confrontations diplomatically “in private at the highest level all the time,” including during a recent call between Biden and President Xi Jinping, a senior administration official said before the summit.
In addition to reiterating American alliance commitments to the Philippines, the president had voiced Washington’s concern over Beijing’s actions around the Second Thomas Shoal, area claimed by Manila that has seen repeated Chinese aggressiveness, during the call, she added.
“Today’s meeting will make history,” Kishida said as the three leaders gathered around a U-shaped table along with several respective cabinet officials.
“Japan, the US and the Philippines are maritime nations connected by the Pacific Ocean and are natural partners. We share fundamental values and principles and have supported regional economic development in order to secure peace and prosperity in the Indo Pacific.”
The Chinese embassy in Washington said cooperation between countries should not target a third party.
“Patching up small blocs, stirring up confrontation under the excuse of cooperation, upholding peace and order in name but flexing military muscle and stoking chaos in nature do not meet the trend for peace and development,” spokesman Liu Pengyu said.
“We’ll also be firm in upholding territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
In addition to the South China Sea, senior officials said the three leaders discussed a wide range of security-related issues, including the East China Sea, North Korea’s “illicit nuclear and missile programme” and the Taiwan Strait.
On March 5, the Chinese coastguard and maritime militia collided with the Philippine coastguard. And on March 23, Chinese water cannons damaged a Philippine supply vessel and injured some of the crew attempting to reach the Sierra Madre, a rusting naval vessel grounded to reinforce Manila’s sovereignty claims to the surrounding area.
Washington and Tokyo also offered several Philippine-focused initiatives related to energy security, connectivity, military modernisation, semiconductor supply chains, pre-positioning of disaster relief aid and foreign investment in undersea cables, logistics and telecommunications.
Among the companies involved were Meta, UPS, GreenFire Energy and Astranis telecommunications satellites.
“The US, Japan and the Philippines are three closely aligned maritime democracies with increasingly convergent strategic objectives and interests,” said National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. “This week is a culmination of months of effort.”
In a “vision statement” released after the three leaders met, the group pledged to advance together “for decades to come”.
“A new trilateral chapter between our three nations begins today,” it added.
On Wednesday, two US senators introduced a bipartisan bill that would provide Manila with US$2.5 billion to strengthen its defences against Chinese pressure.
Japan, the US and the Philippines are maritime nations … and are natural partners FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PM