US defence commitments to Japan, Philippines 'ironclad': Biden

The United States defence commitments to Japan and the Philippines are ironclad US President Joe Biden said as he launched a new trilateral partnership in the IndoPacific among the nationsIn a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida here on Thursday Biden also asserted that any attack on Philippine aircraft vessels or its armed forces in the South China Sea would invoke our mutual defence treatyThe USJapanPhilippines trilateral comes after the creation of groupings in the IndoPacific starting with the Quad comprising India the US Australia and Japan and the AUKUS consisting of Australia the US and the UK amid increasing concerns over Chinas military muscleflexing in the regionThe US president said that a great deal of history in our world will be written in the IndoPacific over the coming yearsToday we commit to writing that story in the future together to build an IndoPacific that is free open prosperous and secure for all Biden said as he described the US Japan and the Philippines as three allies three steadfast partners and three proud democraciesBiden said among the key areas where the countries are deepening ties are first technology and clean energy for securing our semiconductor supply chainFrom securing our semiconductor supply chain to expanding trusted telecommunications in the Philippines to building a clean energy workforce to expanding our cooperation across the entire board the US president saidSecond we are deepening our maritime and security ties I want to be clear the United States defence commitments to Japan and to the Philippines are ironclad Theyre ironclad As Ive said before any attack on Philippine aircraft vessels or armed forces in the South China Sea would invoke our mutual defence treaty he saidBiden also announced launching an economic corridor in the Philippines as part of the G7s partnership for global infrastructure and investmentThis is the first corridor in the IndoPacific It means more jobs for people across the entire region It means more investment and sectors critical to our future clean energy ports railroads agriculture and much more he saidJapanese Prime Minister Kishida said in the midst of the compound crisis faced by the global community multilayered cooperation between allies and likeminded countries is essential if they are to maintain and bolster a free and open international order based on the rule of lawTodays meeting will make history as an occasion that significantly pushed forward such an initiative Japan the US and the Philippines are maritime nations connected by the Pacific Ocean and our natural partners We share fundamental values and principles and have supported regional economic development he saidIn his remarks Philippine President Marcos said We meet today as friends and partners bound by a shared vision and pursuit of a peaceful stable and prosperous IndoPacificIt is a partnership born not out of convenience nor of expediency but as a natural progression of a deepening relation and robust cooperation amongst the three countries linked by a profound respect for democracy good governance and the rule of law he saidTodays historic summit is a culmination of several preparatory engagements between our foreign ministries our national security advisors and our vice ministers as well as the conduct of trilateral maritime exercises and joint development cooperation But this meeting can be just a beginning he saidFacing the complex challenges of the presenttime requires concerted efforts on everyones part a dedication to a common purpose and an unwavering commitment to the rulesbased international order Marcos saidThis is a meeting that looks ahead as we deepen our ties and enhance our coordination We seek to identify ways of growing our economies and making them more resilient climateproofing our cities and our societies sustaining our development progress and forging a peaceful world for the next generation he saidThe leaders in a joint statement issued later said the historic summit is the culmination of decades of partnership and builds on the recent momentum of the three governments trilateral effortsOur three nations share a firm commitment to a free and open IndoPacific that is connected prosperous secure inclusive and resilient We welcome coordination and cooperation with a wide range of partners who share these goals In that spirit we affirm our unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity and the ASEAN outlook on the IndoPacific the joint statement saidWe underscore our support for Pacific Island countries and intend to transparently and effectively work in partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum PIF to support the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent it said The leaders welcomed efforts to support a peaceful and stable and rulesbased IndoPacific region including from the Quad the AUKUS and the USJapanRepublic of Korea trilateral framework according to the statementThis story 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