By Takuya Karube,
U.S. President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a trilateral summit in Washington on April 11, the White House said Monday.
The first three-way summit of the United States, Japan and the Philippines will be held as the countries step up defense cooperation against the backdrop of China's continuing aggressive actions in the South and East China seas, as well as around Taiwan.
The summit will take place a day after Biden's meeting with Kishida, who will also attend a state dinner in his honor hosted by the U.S. president.
To prepare for the leaders' discussions, the three countries will hold a meeting of senior diplomats in Tokyo on Thursday, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to have a working dinner with Marcos in Manila on Tuesday, according to the State Department.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement the three leaders will "advance a trilateral partnership built on deep historical ties of friendship, robust and growing economic relations, a proud and resolute commitment to shared democratic values, and a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific."
Noting that the summit will provide a great opportunity for Biden to reaffirm the United States' "ironclad alliances" with Japan and the Philippines, she said the issues to be discussed will include security in the region and beyond, emerging technologies, supply chains and climate cooperation.
She added that Biden will hold a separate meeting with the Philippine president at the White House on April 11.
In Tokyo on Tuesday, Japan's top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi also announced the trilateral summit, which will take place on the same day as Kishida's address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, the first by a Japanese leader since 2015.
During a regular press conference, Hayashi said Japan will further strengthen its three-way partnership with the United States and the Philippines for an "international order based on the rule of law."
Among other allies and like-minded countries, the Biden administration regards deeper ties with the Philippines, situated near Taiwan and strategically important sea lanes, as critical for maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
It also views the alliance with the Philippines as vital to reinforcing deterrence against China, which claims Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island, as part of its territory to be brought under its control, by force if necessary.
The Marcos administration is wary of being dragged into the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China.
But it 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.
Japan and the Philippines both face security challenges stemming from China's territorial claims in their nearby waters.
In June last year, the United States, Japan and the Philippines held the first trilateral meeting of their top security advisers.
About a month before the meeting, Biden agreed with Marcos at the White House to establish "trilateral modes of cooperation" with Japan.
The two presidents also agreed at the time on new bilateral defense guidelines aimed at improving the interoperability of their land, sea, air and cyberspace forces.
