US President Joe Biden tied two of the US's most important partners even more closely: Japan and the former colony of the Philippines. “Today's Ukraine can be East Asia tomorrow,” said Japan's prime minister simply.
The armed forces of both countries should work more closely together in the future. Japan wants to double its defense budget to two percent of gross domestic product by 2027. China has been fighting with the Philippines for years over several islets and atolls in the South China Sea. The danger of war here could be even more higher than in the Taiwan Strait, says May-Britt Stumbaum, director of the Spear Institute think tank and associate fellow at the Bundeswehr University in Munich. In a joint statement, Biden, Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. accused China of “dangerous and aggressive behavior in the strategically important maritime region” “Any attack on Philippine forces in the China Sea would activate a mutual defense agreement,’ said Biden.