President
Joe Biden has warned that the United States will defend the Philippines from
any aggression in the South China Sea, describing its support for Manila as
"ironclad".
Mr.
Biden's remarks came amid frequent confrontations and escalating tensions
between Chinese and Philippine coast guard warships in the disputed waterway.
The
United States and the Philippines have had a mutual defense pact in force since
1951.
China
has consistently accused the United States for escalating regional tensions.
At
the opening of three-way meetings at the White House with Japanese Prime
Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Mr Biden
stated that "any attack on Philippine aircraft, vessels, or armed forces
in the South China Sea would invoke our mutual defense treaty."
Mr
Marcos' travel to Washington comes few days after his government accused a
Chinese warship of engaging in "highly dangerous manoeuvres" in the
Second Thomas Shoal, a contested maritime zone near the Spratly Islands.
The
incident is one of numerous in which Chinese ships have been accused of
harassing Philippine ships, including firing water cannons and ramming them.
While
the three presidents did not mention China by name, Mr Marcos stated that they
had a "unwavering commitment to the rules-based international order."
China,
for its part, has frequently dismissed criticism of its actions in the South
China Sea and blamed the United States for escalating Indo-Pacific tensions.
"No
one should violate China's territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and
interests, and China remains steadfast in safeguarding our lawful rights,"
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday.
According
to the White House and Japan's foreign ministry, the three nations intend to
strengthen "trilateral defense cooperation," including combined naval
drills.
The
trilateral meeting comes one day after Mr Biden and Mr Kishida unveiled a slew
of US-Japan agreements, the most of which are aimed at boosting defense
relations in the face of a possible Chinese threat.
These
proposals involve a larger air defense network that includes Australia, as well
as a combined command structure between the United States and Japan.
Additionally,
US and Japanese soldiers will engage in three-way military drills with the UK.
Mr
Kishida told reporters on Wednesday that the US and Japan will respond to
"challenges" from China, even if they hoped to maintain "our
dialogue with China and cooperating with China on common challenges."
