At his first meeting with Manila and Tokyo, Joe Biden promised to protect the Philippines from any attack in the South China Sea as tensions rise.
As Biden put it, “The United States’ defense commitments to Japan and the Philippines are ironclad.” There have been several incidents in the sea between Chinese and Philippine ships that have caused worry.
The U.S. president said, “Any attack on Philippine aircraft, ships, or armed forces in the South China Sea would be in violation of our mutual defense treaty.”
China says it owns the whole South China Sea, but many Southeast Asian countries, like the Philippines, say they don’t. To get back to the Philippines, China has done things like shine lasers at the Philippine Coast Guard, run into Philippine supply ships, and fire water cannons.
China says that the Philippines is violating its rights in the South China Sea. “China was committed to managing the situation at Ren’ai Jiao with the Philippines through dialogue and consultation,” Mao Ning, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, said. Mao went on to say that they were fine with being restocked, but they wanted enough time to check out the ship and “monitor the process.”
Before, the president of the Philippines spoke out and blamed the US for meddling in their matters and making decisions. He stated, “I am confident that the United States is instructing the Philippines, telling the present Philippine government not to be afraid to fight because the United States will back Manila.”
The US has also made its military and defense ties with Japan stronger, which worries China as well.
