While hosting his counterparts in Japan and the Philippines on Thursday, President Joe Biden gave "ironclad" defence promises amidst mounting tensions with Beijing, whose actions the three leaders characterised as "dangerous and aggressive."
 
As concerns about a larger conflict have been heightened by recurrent clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, Biden solidified US security commitments in the region.
 
"Any attack on Philippine aircraft, vessels, or armed forces in the South China Sea would invoke our mutual defence treaty," said Biden during his meeting at the White House with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines.
 
China, which has been acting more assertively, now claims nearly the whole South China Sea, rejecting rival claims made by the Philippines and other countries in Southeast Asia.
Biden has strengthened his ties in the area as a result of the tensions and the saber-rattling over China's claims to Taiwan.
 
The presidents of the US, Japan, and the Philippines praised the conference as "historic" as they gathered around a wooden table formed like a horseshoe in the elegant East Room of the US presidential mansion.
 
They portrayed their alliance as the cornerstone of democracy and peace in the Asia-Pacific region, standing in stark contrast to Beijing's autocratic regime, all without naming China specifically.
 
Compared to his more China-oriented predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos was perceived as being closer to Washington. He said that both leaders shared a "unwavering commitment to the rules-based international order."
"Multi-layered cooperation is essential," stated Kishida, adding that "today's meeting will make history."
 
Following their discussion, the three presidents denounced China's "dangerous and aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea" and issued a "Joint Vision Statement" late on Thursday that outlined a number of proposals for defence and economic cooperation.
 
According to the statement, the three countries will work with allies like Australia to undertake combined naval drills and training.
 
Although Manila and the United States have a mutual defence treaty, there are concerns that it may be tested, with tensions rising especially near the Second Thomas Shoal.
 
China's "repeated obstruction of Philippine vessels' exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and the disruption of supply lines to Second Thomas Shoal, which constitute dangerous and destabilising conduct," the three leaders said in a joint statement, "seriously concerned."
 
The joint summit took place the day after Biden received Japan's Kishida for an opulent state visit, during which he disclosed a historic strengthening of defence relations intended to stave off a resurgent China.
 
Earlier on Thursday, in a joint address to Congress, Kishida encouraged Americans to get over their "self-doubt" about their status as a major world power.
 
This time, Kishida issued a frank warning about the dangers posed by China's ascent, stating that Japan, which lost its military after World War II, was resolved to shoulder more of the burden alongside its partner, the United States.
 
Retaliating, China claimed that during Kishida's state visit, the US and Japan had "smeared" its reputation.
 
Washington and Tokyo, according to Beijing's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, have "attacked China on Taiwan and maritime issues, grossly interfered in China's internal affairs, and seriously violated the basic norms governing international relations."
 
Biden, who was accompanied at Camp David in August by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japan's Yo, are the most recent allies in the Asia-Pacific region.
 
However, in an effort to defuse tensions with China, Biden spoke with President Xi Jinping over the phone for two hours last week after their in-person meeting in San Francisco in November.
 
The significant improvement in defence relations with Japan, according to Biden on Wednesday, is "purely defensive" and "not aimed at any one nation or a threat to the region."
 
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