Joe Biden, the president of the United States, has promised to protect the Philippines from any assault in the South China Sea.
Amid escalating tensions with Beijing, Biden presided over the first joint summit with Manila and Tokyo.
As he met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines on Thursday, US President Barack Obama declared, “The United States’ defense commitments to Japan and to the Philippines are ironclad.”
The meeting, which took place at the White House, after a string of run-ins between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed waterway sparked concerns about a bigger clash.
Biden’s commitment comes after a one-on-one meeting with Kishida and the strengthening of their alliance, which was also met with harsh criticism from the Chinese government.
“We would invoke our mutual defense treaty in the event of an attack on Philippine aircraft, vessels, or armed forces in the South China Sea,” stated Biden.
When the US president welcomed the president of the Philippines to the White House last year, he committed to a similar outcome.
China has asserted its territorial claims over nearly the whole South China Sea, dismissing rival assertions made by the Philippines and other southeast Asian countries.