WASHINGTON/MANILA (Reuters) – A cooperation deal between the Philippines, the United States and Japan will change the dynamic in the South China Sea and the region, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday, seeking to assure China that is not the case. A goal.
“I think the trilateral agreement is extremely important,” Marcos said at a news conference in Washington a day after meeting President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the nations’ first trilateral summit.
“It will change the dynamic, the dynamic that we see in the region, in ASEAN in Asia, around the South China Sea,” Marcos said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The three leaders expressed “serious concerns” about China’s “dangerous and aggressive behavior” in the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual maritime trade with various maritime disputes between China and other countries.
However, Marcos said the summit was “not against any country” but was focused on deepening economic and security relations between Manila, Washington and Tokyo.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration finding that Beijing’s broad claims had no legal basis.
Philippine and Chinese ships have had a series of clashes over the past month that included the use of water cannons and heated verbal exchanges.
Beijing on Thursday summoned Manila’s ambassador to the country and a Japanese embassy official to object to what its Foreign Ministry called “negative comments” against China.
The deepening dispute between China and the Philippines coincides with an increase in security commitments with the United States under Marcos, including the expansion of US access to Philippine bases, as well as with Japan, which is expected to sign a military pact mutual with Manila.
Biden has asked Congress for an additional $128 million for infrastructure projects at Philippine bases.
Marcos also expressed confidence that about $100 billion in possible investment deals over the next five to 10 years after the summit will be realized.
While in Washington, Marcos also met with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who assured him of continued U.S. support.
“All cooperation is critical to our collective security and continued prosperity across the region,” Austin said, reiterating Biden’s strong commitment to defense.