By Takuya Karube,
U.S. President Joe Biden agreed Monday with his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to establish "trilateral modes of cooperation" with Japan, against the backdrop of China's aggressive military actions around Taiwan and other parts of the Indo-Pacific.
As the United States steps up efforts to deter China from expanding its influence in the region, the presidents agreed on new bilateral defense guidelines aimed at improving the interoperability of their forces in the domains of land, sea, airspace and cyberspace, following a meeting in Washington, according to the White House.
Biden told Marcos that the United States "remains ironclad" in its commitment to the defense of the Philippines, including in the South China Sea, where China has made sweeping territorial claims, and will continue to support the modernization of the Southeast Asian country's military.
The White House announced plans to transfer three C-130 transport planes and additional patrol vessels to the Philippines to help it upgrade its maritime and tactical airlift capabilities.
During the portion of the meeting that was open to the press, Marcos said the Philippines is possibly facing "the most complicated geopolitical situation in the world right now" due to new challenges.
Marcos said that "it is only natural" for Manila to seek to strengthen the relationship with Washington, its sole security treaty partner, citing continuing tensions in the South China Sea.
According to Philippine officials earlier this year, the idea of security talks involving the U.S., Japanese and Philippine national security advisers has been put on the table.
Among other points, a joint statement released after the summit in the Oval Office said the two leaders "affirm the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity."
It also said Biden and Marcos agreed that their countries will also seek three-way cooperation with Australia.
But the statement made no mention of China and many agreements lacked specifics, with the Philippine government apparently trying to prevent security issues from completely stealing the spotlight in the summit.
There was also no joint press conference, even though Marcos is the first Philippine president in over a decade to come to Washington.
Before holding talks with Biden, he made it clear that the Philippines does not want to be dragged into the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China.
"We will not allow the Philippines to be used as a staging post for any kind of military action," Marcos told the press on Sunday aboard a plane en route to Washington.
The Philippines is situated near Taiwan and strategically important sea lanes. The Biden administration views the alliance with Manila as indispensable to boosting deterrence efforts against China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory to be brought under its control, by force if necessary.
But Marcos' office on Monday instead highlighted progress on economic cooperation, welcoming Biden's plan to dispatch a trade and investment mission to the Philippines.
The Biden administration, which regards the United States as in strategic competition with China, has been working more closely with its allies, including Japan and South Korea, in recent months.
Marcos' administration is continuing its pursuit of a different approach from former leader Rodrigo Duterte, who repeatedly threatened to sever Manila's longtime security alliance with Washington and sought closer ties with Beijing and Moscow.
The latest meeting between Biden and Marcos, who previously met in New York in September, was held after the two allies on Friday wrapped up their largest-ever annual military exercises in the Philippines and its nearby waters.
Last month, the United States and the Philippines held the first meeting of their defense and foreign secretaries since 2016. In February, Marcos granted the U.S. access to four more military bases, increasing the number that American soldiers can use to nine.
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