As Blinken repeats US ‘ironclad’ commitment to Manila
WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden will hold the first three-way summit with the leaders of the Philippines and Japan next month, the White House said, as the United States firms up alliances against China.
Biden’s meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House on April 11 is the latest in a series of meetings with Asia-Pacific allies.
Mr. Marcos on Tuesday welcomed to Malacanang Palace US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who underscored Washington’s “ironclad commitment” Tuesday to help defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack against its forces.
It comes against a backdrop of skirmishes between Philippines and Chinese vessels in the South China Sea, where the countries have contested maritime claims.
“These waterways are critical to the Philippines, to its security, to its economy, but they’re also critical to the interests of the region, the United States and the world,” Blinken said earlier at a joint press conference with his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo.
“The leaders will advance a trilateral partnership built on deep historical ties of friendship” including a “shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Biden will later hold a separate bilateral meeting with Mr. Marcos to “reaffirm the ironclad alliance” with the Philippines, she said.
Kishida, on the other hand, will be at the White House for a state visit the day before the summit.
In Manila, Blinken said the United States stands by its “ironclad” commitments to defend longtime ally the Philippines against armed attack in the South China Sea.
The Palace had yet to issue President Marcos’ comments on Blinken’s visit as of press time.
“That’s why we stand with the Philippines and stand by our ironclad defense commitments, including under the mutual defense treaty.”
For his part, Manalo said the challenge ahead was how to sustain and further elevate relations with the United States, which he thanked for its support over recent altercations with China in the South China Sea.
After Blinken’s remarks, China said the United States has “no right” to interfere in the South China Sea.
“The United States is not a party to the South China Sea issue and has no right to interfere in maritime issues that are between China and the Philippines,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular press conference.
In Tokyo, chief government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said Japan believes the talks will boost a “free and open international order based on the rule of law.”
“With the Japan-US alliance as the linchpin, we believe that deepening cooperation with like-minded countries like the Philippines in a wide range of areas will be essential to maintaining the peace and prosperity of this region,” he told reporters.
The US is redoubling efforts to improve longstanding ties with regional allies such as Tokyo and Manila, in an effort to counterbalance an increasingly aggressive China.
The announcement of the three-way summit came as Blinken was heading to Manila, a trip that the State Department said would reaffirm America’s “unwavering commitment” to the Philippines.
Beijing recently accused Washington of using the Philippines as a “pawn” in the dispute over the South China Sea.
Japan and the Philippines meanwhile said during a visit by Kishida in November that they would begin negotiations for a defense pact that would allow them to deploy troops on each other’s territory.
Japan invaded and occupied the Philippines during World War II, but the two countries have since grown closer due to trade and investment, and more recently, to counter China’s assertiveness in the region.
Biden has also increasingly turned to the three-way summit format to strengthen US alliances.
In August last year, he hosted Japan’s Kishida and South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol at his Camp David presidential retreat, in a bid to bring the two US allies closer after years of tensions.
But Biden also held a landmark summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in California in November in a bid to prevent conflict between the two superpowers, but relations remain tense.
Ahead of his meetings, Blinken toured a semiconductor plant. He described the Philippines as “an increasingly critical partner” in ensuring a “resilient” supply chain of chips.
The United States is seeking to cement its lead in the chip industry both on national security grounds and in the face of competition from China.
According to Blinken, economic ties with the United States would expand, offering support to Philippine manufacturing with a view to diversifying supply chains.
Last week the US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo visited the Philippines and said US companies were set to unveil more than $1 billion of investments in the country.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline White House: Biden, Marcos to hold separate dialogue at Washington Summit this April