Amidst Ongoing South China Sea Tensions, Leaders Outline Further Cooperation Goals at Historic U.S.-Japan-Philippines Summit
The trilateral summit between the United States, Japan, and the Philippines was held at the White House on April 11th. (Wikimedia Commons)
President Biden held the first United States-Japan-Philippines trilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House on April 11, 2024. The White House released a joint vision statement shortly after the conclusion of the summit outlining intentions for developing further economic, security, technological, and environmental cooperation between the three countries.
Chief among economic announcements is the development of the Luzon Economic Corridor, reports the U.S. State Department, intended to provide connectivity between the intra-Philippine areas of Subic Bay, Clark, Manila, and Batangas. The government of the Philippines states that the economic corridor comes alongside intentions to accelerate investments in rail development, semiconductor technology, civilian port upgrades, and other high-impact sectors like agribusiness. The White House notes that for Fiscal Year 2025, President Biden has also requested an additional $28 million from Congress for further infrastructure projects within the region, conveying hopes of promoting economic growth and strengthening United States-Philippines ties.
The trilateral summit also addressed China’s increased activity within the disputed South China Sea that has heightened tensions between China and the Philippines, according to Reuters. In a press release earlier this year, Japan also voiced concerns regarding South China Sea tensions, emphasizing continual cooperation with ASEAN member states, the United States, and other members of the broader international community to protect and uphold the “rule of law at sea.” The joint vision statement the White House issued April 11 begins with a united pledge of advancing the vision of “a free and open Indo-Pacific and international order based on international law,” highlighting goals to strengthen regional dynamics within existing frameworks like the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and AUKUS. The statement articulates a shared concern over China’s militarization and “dangerous and aggressive behavior” within the South China Sea, alongside opposition over any use of coercive force by China within the East China Sea. This is a region home to ongoing disputes between Japan and China as well, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Alongside opposition towards China, the White House statement contains other declarations of united views between the three countries such as a recognition of no change in their “basic positions on Taiwan,” a commitment to the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” and a broad emphasis on the importance of democratic institutions. However, in response, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said that China strongly opposes the “practice of bloc politics” and the formation of “exclusive groupings” within the Indo-Pacific region, describing the issued trilateral statement as a “smear and attack against China.” She further commented that the “Taiwan question” is strictly China’s internal affair, opposing interference from outside states, and reiterated claims over the East and South China Seas. Representing the Chinese Embassy in the United States, Ning further remarked that China’s maritime actions within the two seas are “lawful, justified and beyond reproach.”