Biden assures that he will defend the Philippines from “any attack” in the South China Sea

April 12 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, assured this Thursday that “any attack” against the Philippines in the South China Sea will “invoke” the mutual defense treaty between Washington and Manila, in reference to recent incidents between Chinese and Filipino ships. for the sovereignty of these waters.

“I want to make it clear that the defense commitments of the United States to Japan and the Philippines are ironclad. They are ironclad. Any attack against Philippine aircraft, ships or Armed Forces in the South China Sea would invoke our mutual defense treaty,” Biden assured. the media within the framework of the trilateral summit between the United States, Japan and the Philippines held this Thursday in Washington.

After the meeting, the US president expressed that the three countries have entered a “new era of cooperation” in the Indo-Pacific region, which will be the one that “writes” the future of the world.

“Much of our world's history will be written in the Indo-Pacific in the coming years. (The United States, Japan and the Philippines) are committed to writing that history together in the future, to building an Indo-Pacific that is free, open, prosperous and safe for all,” he declared.

During the same day, Biden held a meeting on the sidelines of the summit with the president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to also talk about “the unprecedented momentum” between the relations of both countries, which will reinforce their initiatives regarding economic and energy security, in maritime cooperation, in investment in key infrastructures and in Human Rights and labor rights.

China claims most of the waters in the area, considering that they are part of its territory as they appear within the so-called “nine-dot line” that appears on the maps of the Asian giant – a line drawn by the Chinese Government that claims the South China Sea, including the Paracels and Spratly Islands, as its own.

Relations between China and the Philippines have been under increasing tension in recent months. Manila has accused Beijing of hindering its troop desupply missions within what it considers its exclusive economic zone, while China insists that Philippine ships transit these waters illegally.