US President Joe Biden said , that the US is ready to defend the Philippines in the event of an attack in the South China Sea, BTA reported.
Biden made these assurances during a tripartite summit in Washington that included Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The US president warned that any attack on a Philippine plane, ship or Philippine armed forces in the South China Sea would trigger the mutual defense treaty between Washington and Manila. The Washington-Manila defense treaty dates back to the 1950s.
These warnings came amid increased incidents involving China in the South China Sea.
Biden added that America's defense commitments to the Philippines and Japan remain unwavering.
The topic of tensions between China and its neighbors takes center stage at the summit between the leaders of the US, Japan and the Philippines.
The Biden administration is also expected to announce new joint military efforts and infrastructure spending in the former American colony, adds Reuters.
Tensions in the South China Sea have escalated despite the appeal that Biden made personally to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last year, Reuters notes. The Philippines and China have had several naval confrontations, including the use of water cannon by China against Philippine vessels and heated verbal exchanges. The dispute between the two countries concerns the Second Thomas Shoal, where a small number of Philippine military personnel are stationed. They are based in a warship that Manila stationed there in 1999 to assert its claim to sovereignty over the territory.
China has claims to almost the entire South China Sea, including the maritime economic zones of neighboring countries. The second Thomas Shoal is within the 320-kilometer exclusive economic zone of the Philippines. In 2016, an arbitration court ruling found that China's claims to the area had no legal basis.
Japan has a dispute with China regarding islands in the East China Sea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning says China's activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea fully comply with international law and that China is willing to resolve issues through dialogue and consultation, but criticized the US and Japan for raising tensions. The US plans joint Coast Guard patrols in the Indo-Pacific region in the coming years as part of joint military training missions.
Meanwhile, US senators on Wednesday introduced a bipartisan bill that would give Manila $2.5 billion to bolster its defenses against Chinese pressure.
During the trilateral summit, the leaders also discussed regional issues, economic issues, new investments in submarine cables, logistics, clean energy and telecommunications.