JAKARTA - President Joe Biden told his colleague President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the United States' commitment to defend its allies is strong, including in the South China Sea where Manila is under China's 'pressure'.
Meanwhile, President Marcos stressed the importance of the United States as the only ally of agreements in the region, with "the most complicated geopolitical situation in the world today."
The two countries reaffirmed their decades-old security alliance on a journey that marks dramatic changes in US-Philippine relations, as the two countries seek ways to counter what they see as China's increasingly aggressive actions near Taiwan and in the South China Sea.
US officials said leaders would agree on new guidelines for stronger military cooperation and increase economic cooperation.
"The United States remains steadfast in our commitment to defending the Philippines, including the South China Sea," President Biden told President Marcos Jr., at the Oval Office, White House.
A joint statement said this meant any armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public ships or aircraft in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea, would lead to US reciprocal defense commitments under the 1951 Joint Defense Treaty.
Welcome to the White House, President @BongbongMarcos.Your partnership will allow the United States and Philippines to continue to strengthen our economies, fight climate change, and build a better world for generations to come. pic.twitter.com/cQcz1z6gq5
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 1, 2023
Welcome to the White House, President @BongbongMarcos.Your partnership will allow the United States and Philippines to continue to arrest our economies, fight climate change, and build a better world for generations to come. pic.twitter.com/cQcz1z6gq5
Washington sees the Philippines as key to any attempt to counter the Taiwan invasion by China, which claims the self-governing island as its own territory.
Recently, Manila agreed to allow the United States to access four of its military bases again under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, but both sides have not said what assets the US will deploy there.
The joint statement also said leaders "enforced the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as an inseparable element of global security and prosperity."
Earlier, under Rodrigo Duterte, President Marcos' predecessor, relations with the US deteriorated as he distanced the Philippines from his former colonial rulers, while at the same time establishing closer ties with China.
US officials said the new guidelines focused on military coordination on land, sea, air, space and cyberspace, while the US Government would also transfer three C-130 aircraft and seek to send additional patrol boats to the Philippines.
"It's natural for the Philippines to see its only agreement partner in the world, to strengthen and redefine the relations we have, as well as the role we play in dealing with the growing tensions we see now around South China, the Asia Pacific and Indo-Pacific regions," said President Marcos Jr.
It is known that the meeting was at the heart of President Marcos Jr.'s four-day visit which began on Sunday.
President Marcos Jr., seeking a warm relationship with the United States and China, who are competing for influence in the Indo-Pacific. A joint statement with President Biden - President Marcos Jr. did not mention the name of the Chinese government.
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Experts say Washington considers the Philippines a potential location for rockets, missiles and artillery systems to counter China's amphibious attack on Taiwan.
However, President Marcos Jr. told reporters on his plane China had agreed to discuss fishing rights in the South China Sea and also that he would not allow the Philippines to be a "preparatory post" for military action.
The statement also said the two countries hoped to establish trilateral cooperation with Japan and Australia.
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