| US–Japan–Philippines trilateral summit | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Map indicating the United States (blue), Japan (orange), and the Philippines (green) Member states and key leaders:
| |||||||
| Participants | United States, Japan, Philippines | ||||||
| Founded | 2024 | ||||||
The US–Japan–Philippines trilateral summit is a summit meeting attended by the United States, Japan and the Philippines. The latter two are Asian countries that are treaty allies to the United States. [1]
The first ever trilateral summit involving the United States, Japan and the Philippines would be held at the White House in Washington D.C. on April 11, 2024. [2]
This followed joint meeting between national security advisers of the three countries in [3] and join exercise of the nation's coast guards off the waters of Bataan [4] [5] in June 2023.
The summit was held in response to China's enforcement of its own sovereignty claims in relation to the South China Sea dispute which the three nations deemed to be made through "dangerous and aggressive behavior". [6] China would condemn the meeting insisting that its actions in the South China Sea and East China Sea as "lawful". Japan has EEZ disputes with China in the latter. [7]
US President Joe Biden has affirmed the United States' treaty alliances with Japan and the Philippines. [8]
It was also announced that the three nations would make the Philippines as a new hub for the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment scheme of the Group of Seven, [8] by opening the Luzon Economic Corridor in Luzon island. [9]
Japan and the United States would commit $8 million for the funding of Open Radio Access Network (RAN) field trials in the Philippines. [10]
| Summit | Host Country | Participants | Host city | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United States President |  Japan Prime Minister |  Philippines President | ||||
| 1st | United States | Joe Biden | Fumio Kishida | Bongbong Marcos | Washington D.C. | April 11, 2024 |
Scarborough Shoal, also known as Panacot,Bajo de Masinloc, Huangyan Island, Minzhu Jiao, and Panatag Shoal, are two skerries located between Macclesfield Bank to the west and Luzon to the east. Luzon is 220 kilometres (119 nmi) away and the nearest landmass. The atoll is a disputed territory claimed by the Republic of the Philippines through the Treaty of Washington in 1900 via the 1734 Velarde map, as well as the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan). The atoll's status is often discussed in conjunction with other territorial disputes in the South China Sea, such as those involving the Spratly Islands, and the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff. In 2013, the Philippines initiated arbitration against China under UNCLOS. In 2016, the tribunal ruled that China's historic title within the nine-dash line was invalid but did not rule on sovereignty.
The Mutual Defense Treaty between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America (MDT) was signed on August 30, 1951 by their representatives in Washington, D.C. The treaty has eight articles and requires both nations to support each other if another party attacks the Philippines or the United States.
Philippines–United States relations are the bilateral and diplomatic relations of the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America. The relationship has been historically strong, described by some as a "special relationship" as a consequence of the Philippines' American colonial period between 1898 and 1946. Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, however, was supportive of a foreign policy less dependent on the United States, favoring one that prioritized closer relations with China and Russia, despite the Philippines and the U.S. having a mutual defense treaty dating from 1951 to the present. In 2014, the countries signed an enhanced defense cooperation agreement that began its first phase of implementation in 2019.
The China–Japan–South Korea trilateral summit is an annual summit meeting attended by the People's Republic of China, Japan and South Korea, three major countries in East Asia and the world's second, fourth and 12th largest economies. The first summit was held during December 2008 in Fukuoka, Japan. The talks are focused on maintaining strong trilateral relations, the regional economy and disaster relief.
U.S. President Barack Obama's East Asia Strategy (2009–2017), also known as the Pivot to Asia, represented a significant shift in the foreign policy of the United States since the 2010s. It shifted the country's focus away from the Middle Eastern and European sphere and allowed it to invest heavily and build relationships in East Asian and Southeast Asian countries, especially countries which are in close proximity to the People's Republic of China (PRC) either economically, geographically or politically to counter its rise as a rival potential superpower.
Territorial disputes in the South China Sea involve conflicting island and maritime claims in the South China Sea made by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan, and Vietnam. The disputes involve the islands, reefs, banks, and other features of the region, including the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Scarborough Shoal, and various boundaries in the Gulf of Tonkin. The waters near the Indonesian Natuna Islands, which some regard as geographically part of the South China Sea, are disputed as well.
Bilateral relations between China and the Philippines had significantly progressed since the 1990s, peaking during the Philippine presidencies of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Rodrigo Duterte. However, relations deteriorated due to territorial disputes in the South China Sea, particularly since the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff; in 2013, the Philippine government under President Benigno Aquino III in 2013 filed an arbitration case against China over China's maritime claims. The policy of current Philippine president Bongbong Marcos aims for distancing relations between the Philippines and China in favor of the country's relationship with the United States. The current policy of the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party aims for greater influence over the Philippines, and the region in general, while combating American influence.
The Quad, officially the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a grouping of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States that is maintained by talks between member countries. The grouping was initiated in 2007 by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with the support of Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. The dialogue was paralleled by joint military exercises of an unprecedented scale, titled Exercise Malabar. The diplomatic and military arrangement was widely viewed as a response to increased Chinese economic and military power.
The South China Sea Arbitration was an arbitration case brought by the Republic of the Philippines against the People's Republic of China (PRC) under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea concerning certain issues in the South China Sea, including the nine-dash line introduced by the mainland-based Republic of China since as early as 1947. A tribunal of arbitrators appointed the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) as the registry for the proceedings.
The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) is an agreement between the United States and the Philippines intended to bolster the American–Philippine alliance. The agreement allows the United States to rotate troops into the Philippines for extended stays and allows the United States to build and operate facilities on Philippine bases for both American and Philippine forces. The U.S. is not allowed to establish any permanent military bases. The Philippines have personnel access to American ships and planes. This agreement has been the subject of criticism by some leftist groups in the Philippines.
Exercise Balikatan is the most prominent annual military exercise between the Philippines and the United States. The Tagalog word balikatan means "shoulder-to-shoulder". The exercises have been the cornerstone of Philippines–United States military relations since the closure of U.S. bases in the Philippines.
APEC Philippines 2015 was the year-long hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings which concluded with the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting held on 18–19 November 2015 in Pasay, Metro Manila. It was the second time the Philippines hosted the summit, the first being in 1996.
BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PS-15) is the lead ship of her class of offshore patrol vessel of the Philippine Navy. She is the second ship to be named after Gregorio del Pilar, a Filipino revolutionary general known for his role at the Battle of Tirad Pass. She was originally designated as "PF-15" from 2012 to mid-2016. Then the Navy adopted a new code designation system and she was redesignated as "FF-15". In February 2019, the Navy downgraded the status of the entire class from frigate to patrol ship and redesignated her to "PS-15".
The foreign policy of the Joe Biden administration emphasizes the repair of the United States' alliances, which Biden argues were damaged during the Trump administration. The administration's goal is to restore the United States to a "position of trusted leadership" among global democracies in order to address challenges posed by Russia and China. Both Biden and his Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin have repeatedly emphasized that no other world power should be able to surpass the United States, either militarily or economically. Biden's foreign policy has been described as having ideological underpinnings in mid-twentieth century liberal internationalism, American exceptionalism, and pragmatism.
The American–Japanese–Korean trilateral pact (JAROKUS) or Camp David Principles is a security pact between Japan, South Korea, and the United States which was announced on August 18, 2023, at Camp David in the United States. The pact commits the three countries to a set of agreements and is one of the U.S.-led international security alliances, including Quad Plus and AUKUS.
