![U.S. President Joe Biden with his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (left) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) at their meeting at the White House.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/OORXB2YNDLANHK3OYLEUMD7SPM.jpg?auth=01fa71b30476a132f41bd798cccc6b4452f3c2e526d70c486d77586b3b733196&width=414&height=233&focal=2913%2C1540)
The US, Japan and the Philippines close ranks against Beijing’s pressure in the South China Sea
Following the trilateral meeting, Biden warned that any attack on Manila would trigger the mutual defense treaty
Following the trilateral meeting, Biden warned that any attack on Manila would trigger the mutual defense treaty
Biden and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida are meeting this week in Washington, which will also host the leader of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, to show America’s support following pressure from Beijing on Manila
Beijing is demanding that the Philippines tow the disintegrating ship to port, but Manila insists on keeping it on the Ayungin atoll as an outpost to maintain its interests in the disputed Spratly archipelago
The Philippines will be the first beneficiary of a newly launched Japanese security assistance program for allied militaries in the region
The Philippines and other neighbors of China have resisted Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims over virtually the entire South China Sea, and some have sought U.S. military support as incidents multiply
The Philippines came under intense EU criticism during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s six-year term, mainly because of the bloody anti-drugs crackdown he oversaw
The annual drills by the longtime treaty allies called Balikatan — Tagalog for ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ — will run up to April 28 and involve more than 17,600 military personnel
The locations for the camps have infuriated Chinese officials because they would provide U.S. forces with a staging ground close to southern China and Taiwan, the self-governed island Beijing claims as its own
Manila’s coast guard has intensified patrols in the disputed South China Sea and taken extra efforts to document and publicize assertive Chinese behavior in the strategic waterway