On Monday, US President Joe Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. agreed at the White House on new principles for closer military cooperation. We’re talking about US-Philippine military coordination on land, at sea, in the air, in space, and in cyberspace.
“The United States remains true to its commitment to protect the Philippines, including the South China Sea,” Biden told Marcos in the Oval Office.
The joint statement says any armed attack on Philippine military forces, government vessels or aircraft in the Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea, would fulfill US mutual defense obligations under the 1951 treaty. .
The American administration has promised to transfer three C-130 planes to the Philippines and to consider sending additional patrol boats.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 4-day trip to Washington marks a dramatic turning point in US-Philippine relations as both countries fret over increasingly aggressive Chinese moves near Taiwan and in the South China Sea .
Washington sees the Philippines as an important ally in countering a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which considers the island its own territory.
The Philippines recently granted the United States access to its four military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
Biden and Marcos Jr. also agreed to intensify economic cooperation between the two countries.
This is the first visit by a Philippine president in more than 10 years. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., 64, is the son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. Marcos became president last year.
Under his predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, relations with the United States and the Philippines deteriorated severely as he attempted to forge closer ties with China.
Ahead of the summit, U.S. lawmakers from both parties sent a letter to Biden urging him to raise the issue of the Philippines’ human rights crisis at the meeting.
The letter from members of Congress speaks of documented human rights abuses during the reign of Rodrigo Duterte. Lawmakers cite a report by human rights activists that documents 17 extrajudicial executions and 165 unlawful arrests in the Philippines from July to December 2022, and 825 political prisoners.
In recent years, many Filipinos have faced hostile Chinese activities in the South China Sea, including harassment of Filipino boats and fishermen in marine waters claimed by both countries. Consequently, the support of the population in favor of a hardening vis-à-vis Beijing is growing in the country.
These fears about China have only recently intensified.
“The Chinese Ambassador’s comment in Manila that the Philippines should not support Taiwan’s independence if it takes care of the 150,000 overseas foreign workers (of Filipino descent) living there was seen as a veiled threat,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters.
“Some of the actions taken by China worried him (Marcos) and perhaps even surprised him,” the official said. “Marcos is keen to work closely with both countries, but has found himself in a situation where China’s actions are very concerning.”
Experts say Washington views the Philippines as a potential location for missiles and artillery systems to counter a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan.
However, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., en route to Washington, told reporters aboard the plane that he would not allow the Philippines to become a “beachhead” for military action, and that China had agreed to discuss fishing rights in the South China Sea. .
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