President Biden used the first-ever joint meeting with the leaders of Japan and the Philippines on Thursday to expand a network of security and economic alliances in the Indo-Pacific that U.S. officials say will serve as a shield against aggression Chinese.
Flanked by his counterparts and top diplomatic aides at the White House, Biden said the countries were “deepening our maritime and security ties” and delivered a direct message aimed squarely at China’s actions in the South China Sea .
“I want to be clear: America’s defense commitments to Japan and the Philippines are ironclad,” Mr. Biden said.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan described the diplomatic effort in Southeast Asia as one of several efforts by like-minded countries to combat Chinese activities on trade, of technology and military aggression.
The goal is different from that of Europe, where nations came together after World War II into a single alliance known as NATO. Instead of forming a single group, the United States and regional countries are forming smaller, overlapping partnerships aimed at ensuring their ability to resist Chinese pressure, analysts say.
“China uses a pretty potent mix of coercion, international trade and growing naval power,” said Rana Mitter, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He said the United States, Japan and the Philippines were seeking to demonstrate that they “have an ecosystem of different allies trying to respond” to this type of pressure.
That strategy was on display Thursday when all three leaders stressed the need for unity, although none named China.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said “multi-level cooperation is essential” for the region’s future. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines said the meeting highlighted three countries “bound by a deep respect for democracy, good governance and the rule of law.”
Mr. Biden concluded: “When we are united, we are able to forge a better peace for all. »
Strengthening alliances is unlikely to provide a short-term solution to Beijing’s policy problem. harassment of Philippine ships in the South China Sea, which the United States and its allies say is a violation of international law and must stop.
But Biden administration officials said the three leaders’ meeting demonstrated to China even stronger military and diplomatic unity among the leaders of the three allies.
Chinese Coast Guard Vessels rammed Philippine ships, bombarded them with water cannons and pointed lasers at their crews in what the United States condemns as “coercive and illegal tactics” in one of the world’s most crucial waterways .
So far, Chinese provocations have fallen short of the type of attacks that would have triggered the military defense agreement signed by the United States and the Philippines in 1951.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the meeting before it was held, called the issue of security in the South China Sea a “pillar” of the discussions.
“The United States, Japan and the Philippines are three closely aligned maritime democracies with increasingly converging strategic goals and interests,” Mr. Sullivan said Tuesday. “Last week, our three countries and Australia held joint naval exercises in the South China Sea.”
Officials said similar exercises would take place in the coming months as countries continue to assert freedom of travel in international waters that China claims as its own.
Mr Mitter said the prospect of future naval exercises – potentially near the Philippines – would be one of the strongest messages the three countries could send. China has asserted greater control over the South China Sea over the years, attempting to expand its military presence in the region.
“I think they would take this seriously,” he said of Chinese leaders, noting that the demonstration of military unity could prompt the Chinese government to reduce harassment in the short term.
But he added that in the long term, Japan and the Philippines were increasingly eager to establish a network of alliances between them that could survive even if the United States had to reduce its engagement under a more isolationist administration if former President Donald J. Trump won a second term.
“It could be very difficult,” he said of a possible victory for Mr. Trump. “America’s allies in the region are keen for the United States to remain and have a presence in the region.”
The meeting of the three leaders comes a day after Mr Biden welcomed Mr Kishida to the White House for meetings and a state dinner. The two men discussed China’s military and economic aggression, but also announced a series of new initiatives foster greater cooperation in the areas of economics, space exploration, technology and research.
Officials from the three countries released a similar list of announcements after Thursday’s meeting.
Officials said the countries would make new investments in infrastructure projects in the Philippines aimed at improving what they called “high-impact” projects such as ports, railways, energy supply chains. clean energy and semiconductors.
They also unveiled new efforts by the United States and Japan to install radio access network technology in the Philippines, a modernization aimed at improving wireless communications throughout the region.
Officials also promised new collaborations between the three countries in global humanitarian aid efforts and even greater cooperation between the countries’ militaries.
