TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The first trilateral summit of the U.S., Japan, and the Philippines will be held in Washington, D.C., on April 11, the White House announced in a press statement on Monday (March 18).

The summit nears against the backdrop of increased tensions with China in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. U.S. President Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “will advance a trilateral partnership” and “reaffirm the ironclad alliances between the U.S. and the Philippines, and the U.S. and Japan,” according to the statement.

The three leaders “will discuss trilateral cooperation to promote inclusive economic growth and emerging technologies, advance clean energy supply chains and climate cooperation, and further peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the world,” the statement continued.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida is scheduled to hold talks with Biden on April 10, and he will also address a joint session of the U.S. Congress. The U.S. and Japan faced rare friction last week after Biden opposed Japanese company Nippon Steel’s plans to buy U.S. Steel.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and Chinese coast guards have seen increasingly forceful clashes over disputed territories in the South China Sea. Philippines President Marcos has directly called out Beijing for “aggression” and “provocations,” while China claims it is defending its territory against intrusion.

On Tuesday (March 19), U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo in Manila, in which he said the U.S. stands ready to defend its ally amid rising tensions with China. “These waterways are critical to the Philippines, to its security, to its economy, but they’re also critical to the interests of the region, the U.S., and the world,” Blinken added.

According to the U.S. State Department, an armed attack against the Philippines in the South China Sea would invoke “U.S. mutual defense commitments” under the 1951 U.S.–Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.

Biden will also hold a separate meeting with Marcos on April 11.

Due to its strategic position south of Taiwan and next to the South China Sea, the Philippines is viewed by Washington as essential in any military contingency in the Indo-Pacific region. In 2023, the U.S. revealed it will get access to four more naval bases in the Philippines, including three sites facing Taiwan.

However, the Philippines remains wary of being dragged into any conflict between the U.S. and China. Marcos has said he would not allow the country to become a "staging post" for U.S. military action in the Taiwan Strait.