Biden vows 'ironclad' defense of Philippines, Japan

Washington: US President Joe Biden pledged on Thursday to defend the Philippines from any attack in the South China Sea, as he hosted the first joint...

Washington: US President Joe Biden pledged on Thursday to defend the Philippines from any attack in the South China Sea, as he hosted the first joint summit with Tokyo and Manila amid growing tensions with Beijing.

Biden's three-way meeting with Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida follows repeated confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed waterway.

"The United States defense commitments to Japan and to the Philippines are ironclad," Biden said as he opened the meeting in the East Room of the White House.

"Any attack on Philippine aircraft, vessels or armed forces in the South China Sea would invoke our mutual defense treaty."

China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, brushing aside competing claims from several Southeast Asian nations including the Philippines, as well as an international ruling that has declared its stance baseless.