The summit is a strong message of unity as China grows more aggressive in asserting power in the South China Sea.
According to senior administration officials during a White House briefing, the three leaders will also cover areas ranging from energy security to infrastructure to critical and emerging technlogies to maritime security.
Biden will reinforce "ironclad" U.S. alliance defense commitments to both Japan and the Phillipines during the summit.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also assured the Philippines in March of that ironclad commitment.
That prompted a response from China that said the United States is not a party to the conflict in the South China Sea and has no right "to interfere in the maritime issues between China and the Philippines."
Senior administration officials said the trilateral summit is part of Biden's prioritization of reinvigorating the U.S. network of alliances and partnerships around the world.
The summit bolsters what National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has called an "overlapping latticework" of mutually reinforcing partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.
The White House made it quite clear that the U.S.-Philippines mutual defense treaty applies to the South China Sea and includes the Philippines' coast guard and other vessels there.
Nick Szechenyi, of Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, told The Hill that the trilateral summit "is meant to initiate sort of a new chapter" between the three countries, with a focus on maritime security "to demonstrate to China that the U.S. and its allies will continue to resist attempts at coercion."
In addition to security guarantees and military cooperation, the summit also will deal with important new infrastructure projects known as the PGI Luzon corridor.
According to the State Department, PGI corridors focus on geographically connected areas with integrated investments "in transportation, clean energy supply chains information and communications technology, agricultural systems, or health and health security leverage broader and more transformative effects, with the aim of significantly boosting economic development opportunities."
The first-ever PGI corridor in the Indo-Pacific will connect Subic Bay, Clark, Manilla and Batangas in the Philippines to accelerate coordinated investments in ports, rail, clean energy, semiconductors, and supply chains.
Defense and security ties continue to serve as the cornerstone of the alliance with Japan and the Philippines, senior administration officials said.
They said the trilateral summit is a clear demonstration of support and a message that the United States and Japan stand "shoulder to shoulder" with the Philippines.
That support includes four new sites under the Enhanced Cooperation Defense Agreement providing an additional $100 million in foreign military financing for the Philippines.
In addition to the trilateral defense cooperation, Japan, Australia and the United States are working on a coordinated network of radars and sensors to better integrate ballistic and air defense capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.
Marcos is also coming under pressure from what senior administration officials called China's aggressive tactics in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
The United States, Japan and the Philippines continue to closely coordinate what senior administration officials called the question of "China's so-called gray zone tactics, its coercive tactics, and what the implications of those might be."
US-Japan defense 'new era': key things to know
Washington (AFP) April 11, 2024 -
The United States and Japan on Wednesday agreed to boost defense ties in what President Joe Biden called "the most significant upgrade in our alliance since it was first established."
Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida released a joint statement covering collaboration in spheres from space to semiconductors, but the crux of the document was defense.
The "new era of US-Japan cooperation" is aimed at better countering an assertive China, the two leaders said, and comes as long-pacifist Japan hikes defense spending, acquires counter-strike capabilities and brings all its forces under one command.
What have the countries agreed?
There are around 54,000 US military personnel in Japan but currently they report to Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, around 6,500 kilometers (4,000 miles) away and 19 hours behind.
The joint statement issued at the White House said the two sides want to "bilaterally upgrade our respective command and control frameworks to enable seamless integration of operations and capabilities."
Details will be hammered out, but the new framework will "allow for greater interoperability and planning between US and Japanese forces in peacetime and during contingencies."
Where will they deepen cooperation?
The pair also said they would create a new forum between their defense ministries for discussing policies to "better integrate and align our defense industrial policy, acquisition, and science and technology ecosystems."
That would involve "co-development and co-production of missiles" and maintenance of US military ships and aircraft at Japanese commercial facilities, they said.
The nations plan to boost cooperation in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance as well as cybersecurity.
They will also explore creating a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief hub in Japan, the statement said, without giving further details.
The statement also touted several existing initiatives, including a deal for Japan to buy long-range Tomahawk missiles from the United States and US plans to relocate an air base in the southern region of Okinawa.
Are other countries involved?
Other countries in the region are also alarmed by Chinese activities. On Thursday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Kishida and Biden will hold their first trilateral summit.
The US-Japan statement also set out a "vision to cooperate on a networked air defense architecture among the United States, Japan and Australia to counter growing air and missile threats."
The AUKUS security partnership -- the United States, Australia and Britain -- is "considering" cooperating with Japan on advanced defense technology, the two nations said, echoing a previous AUKUS statement.
Britain announced it will take part in regular joint military exercises with Washington and Tokyo starting in 2025, which Wednesday's statement welcomed.
Japan joined the United States, Australia and the Philippines for military drills in the South China Sea at the weekend that riled Beijing.
How important are the new announcements?
James Brady of the Teneo risk consultancy told AFP that while the "guiding principle clearly remains that of deterrence," the agreements should help the pair respond to regional security threats.
"In operational terms, harmonized changes to the command and control frameworks should make the two sides' militaries more prepared than ever to deal with a future contingency in the region -- be that with China or North Korea," he said.
"It would not be an exaggeration to say that this visit marks the all-time high-water mark of US-Japan relations," Brady added.
Related Links
Global Trade News
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
