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Joe Biden has reiterated US commitment to the Philippines’ security and noted the “deep friendship” of the two nations as he hosted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for White House talks as concerns grow about the Chinese navy’s harassment of Philippine vessels.
As Biden sat down with Marcos on Monday, the US president went out of his way to note the progress in the US-Philippine relationship – one that has had ups and downs over the years and was in a difficult place when Marcos took office less than a year ago.
“We are facing new challenges and I couldn’t think of a better partner to have than you,” Biden told Marcos at the start of their Oval Office meeting. “The United States also remains ironclad in our commitment to the defence of the Philippines, including in the South China Sea, and we will continue to support the Philippines military modernisation goals.
“Mr President, our countries not only share a strong partnership, we share a deep friendship, one that has been enriched by millions of Filipino Americans.”
Marcos said the relationship was essential as the Philippines and the Pacific face “possibly the most complicated geopolitical situation in the world right now. So it is only natural for the Philippines to look to its sole treaty partner in the world to strengthen and redefine the relationship that we have and the roles that we play in the face of the rising tensions that we see now.”
After the meeting, the White House announced the transfer of three C-130 aircraft and two coastal patrol vessels to the Philippines. The two countries said they adopted defence guidelines aimed at deepening cooperation and interoperability between their militaries across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace.
The Biden administration said it was launching a new trade mission focused on increasing American investment in the Philippines’ innovation economy, new educational programming and more.
Marcos’ visit to Washington comes after the US and the Philippines last week completed their largest war drills ever and as the two countries’ air forces were to hold their first joint fighter jet training in the Philippines since 1990. The Philippines this year agreed to give the US access to four more bases on the islands as Washington looks to deter China’s increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea.
Meanwhile, China has angered the Philippines by repeatedly harassing its navy and coast guard patrols and chasing away fishing boats in waters that are close to Philippine shores but that Beijing claims as its own.
The Oval Office meeting is the latest high-level diplomacy with Pacific leaders by Biden as his administration contends with increased military and economic assertiveness by China and worries about North Korea’s nuclear programme. Marcos’ official visit to Washington is the first by a Philippine president in more than 10 years.
The US president last week hosted the South Korean president, Yoon Suk-yeol, for a state visit during which the two leaders introduced new steps aimed at deterring North Korea from launching an attack on its neighbours. Biden is scheduled to travel to Japan and Australia in May.
Increased Chinese harassment of vessels in the South China Sea has added another dimension to the visit. On 23 April, journalists from the Associated Press and other outlets were on board the Philippine coast guard’s BRP Malapascua near Second Thomas Shoal when a Chinese coast guard ship blocked the vessel entering the disputed shoal. The Philippines has filed more than 200 diplomatic protests against China since last year, at least 77 since Marcos took office in June.
US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Saturday called it a “stark reminder” of Chinese “harassment and intimidation of Philippine vessels as they undertake routine patrols within their exclusive economic zone”.
English (US)