In a strong message to China, US President Joe Biden has underscored that the United States is committed to defending the Philippines in the event of an attack in the disputed South China Sea.
This statement follows recent reports of two incidents involving collisions between Filipino and Chinese vessels in the contested waters. Manila has been challenging Chinese territorial claims in the region, highlighting their activities as hazardous and inviting media coverage of what it views as provocative actions by Beijing at sea.
President Biden’s remarks regarding the South China Sea, made on Wednesday, represent his most forceful stance since tensions escalated between Beijing and Manila in recent months.
He reiterated the “ironclad” commitment of the United States to the defense of the Philippines, stating, “I want to be clear — I want to be very clear: The United States’ defense commitment to the Philippines is ironclad. The United States’ defense agreement with the Philippines is ironclad.”
The Mutual Defense Treaty, established in 1951, binds the US and the Philippines, its former colony, to mutual defense in the event of an armed attack.
Biden further declared, “Any attack on Filipino aircraft, vessels, or armed forces will invoke our Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines,” while speaking at the White House during the visit of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
In response, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning asserted that the US had “no right to interfere in an issue between China and the Philippines.” She added that if the US were to defend the Philippines, its actions “must not encroach upon China’s sovereignty and maritime interests in the South China Sea.”
Recent incidents in the South China Sea included a collision between a Chinese coast guard ship and a Filipino supply boat within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as well as a reported bumping incident involving a Chinese militia boat and a Philippine coast guard vessel. The Filipino vessels were en route to a stranded navy warship at Second Thomas Shoal to reinforce the Philippines’ territorial claims.
The Philippines’ Defense Minister, Gilberto Teodoro Jr., accused Chinese boats of deliberately colliding with Philippine vessels and accused China of distorting the events to suit its own narrative.
The Philippines holds strategic importance for the United States, as it shares borders with two potential flashpoints in the Pacific: the South China Sea and Taiwan.
