US to host leaders of Japan and Philippines in inaugural trilateral summit next month

Asia-Pacific, News, US March 22, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. President Joe Biden is set to host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a trilateral summit in the White House next month. The announcement of the summit came when U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Manilla this week.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced in a statement that the upcoming inaugural U.S.-Japan-Philippines leaders’ summit presents an occasion to underscore the nation’s expanding economic ties, steadfast dedication to common democratic principles, and a mutual aspiration for a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Jean-Pierre said that in addition to the leaders’ summit, Biden will hold one-on-one talks with Marcos. She said the leaders would discuss efforts to expand cooperation on economic security, clean energy, people-to-people ties, human rights, and democracy.

The U.S.-Philippine alliance has never been stronger. I had a productive conversation with President Marcos on how we can forge ahead on shared challenges – from economic resilience and clean energy to peace and stability in the South China Sea. pic.twitter.com/f4cElAjMXs
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 19, 2024

The announcement of the trilateral summit came as the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Manila to conduct a meeting with the Philippines Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

During the meeting, Blinken pledged that Washington maintains an unwavering commitment to defend the Philippines, emphasizing its strength as “ironclad.” Considering escalating tensions with China, the United States has been intensifying both diplomatic and military engagements with the Philippines, which has an ongoing territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea.

Speaking at a joint news conference with his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo in Manila, Blinken said the allies “have a shared concern about the PRC’s (People’s Republic of China) actions that threaten our common vision for a free, open Indo-Pacific, including in the South China Sea and the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.”

US, Japan, Philippine naval drills — ^{Japan Coast Guard Vessel Akitsushima (PLH 32), U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752), Philippine Coast Guard vessels BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV 8301) and BRP Melchora Aquino (MRRV-9702) conduct a trilateral engagement in the South China Sea June 5, 2023. (Image Credit: U.S. Navy/Chief Petty Officer Brett Cote)}

“Repeated violations of international law and the rights of the Philippines, water cannons, blocking maneuvers, close shadowing, other dangerous operations, these waterways are critical to the Philippines, to its security, to its economy, but they’re also critical to the interests of the region, the United States, and the world,” he said.

The upcoming trilateral meeting would also provide a chance for the U.S. and Japanese leadership to ease the ongoing rare friction. The relationship between the United States and Japan is experiencing an unusual period of tension following Biden’s recent declaration opposing the proposed acquisition of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel. Biden stated his opposition, highlighting the necessity of preserving robust American steel companies supported by American steelworkers.

In December 2023, Nippon Steel disclosed its intention to acquire U.S. Steel for $14.1 billion in cash, sparking concerns regarding the potential implications of the deal for unionized workers, supply chains, and the national security of the United States.