Defence support to Japan, Philippines ironclad, says Biden

THE UNITED States’ commitments to the defence of Japan and the Philippines remain “ironclad”, President Joe Biden has said as he launched a new trilateral partnership in the strategic Indo-pacific with the leaders of the two countries amid their separate territorial disputes with China.

Biden's comments came as he hosted the first-ever trilateral summit between the three countries, welcoming Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the White House a day after the official visit of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Japan and the Philippines have separate territorial disputes with China. In Tokyo's case, the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and in Manila's case areas of the South China Sea are disputed with Beijing.

Biden also asserted that any attack on Philippine aircraft, vessels or its armed forces in the South China Sea would invoke “our mutual defence treaty”.

“Today we commit to writing that story in the future together to build an Indo-pacific that is free, open, prosperous and secure for all,” Biden said as he described the US, Japan and the Philippines as “three allies, three steadfast partners and three proud democracies”.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida said multi-layered cooperation between allies and likeminded countries is essential if they are to maintain and bolster a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

Beijing opposes bloc politics

China said it strongly opposes the practice of bloc politics by relevant countries. "We firmly oppose any acts that stoke and drive up tensions and harm other countries' strategic security and interests. We are seriously against forming exclusive grouping sin this region ," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in Beijing in response to a question. “Japan and the Philippines have every right to develop normal relations with other countries, but they should not introduce bloc confrontation into this region,” she said.