On April 10, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr announced that he will soon depart to engage in talks with the President of the United States Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
According to Marcos, the “main intent of this trilateral agreement is for us to be able to continue to flourish, to be able to help one another, and of course to keep the peace in the South China Sea and the freedom of navigation”, as reported by Al-Jazeera.
This comes as China has acted increasingly aggressive towards the Philippines in the South China Sea. China often utilizes high power water cannons, lasers, and ramming attacks to deter the Philippine’s regional claims. Tensions between China and the US are at an all-time high.
The Marcos Administration has also expanded the Enhanced Defensive Cooperation Agreement, which “supports combined training, exercises, and interoperability” between the U.S. and the Philippines, according to the Department of Defense. In general, the Marcos Administration has greatly increased its cooperation with the U.S., in a reversal of the policy of the prior Philippine administration.
