MANILA, Philippines – A trilateral summit between the leaders of the United States, Japan, and the Philippines will include a discussion of recent incidents in the South China Sea, Manila’s foreign ministry said on Friday, April 5.

US President Joe Biden will host next week Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to discuss economic relations and the Indo-Pacific.

The summit set for next week is not directed at any country, Philippines’ acting foreign affairs undersecretary Hans Mohaimin Siriban told a press conference, although the three countries have expressed concern about China’s growing aggressiveness in the region.

“We can expect an alignment of views among the three countries on the recent incidents,” Siriban said, adding they are expected to come up with a “joint vision statement” on their diplomatic relations.

Siriban said Biden and Marcos will separately hold a bilateral meeting ahead of the trilateral summit.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory, policed by an armada of coast guard vessels, some more than 1,000 km (620 miles) away from its mainland.

The Philippines and China have had a series run-ins at sea and heated exchanges in the past year over disputed maritime features, including an incident last month where China used water cannon to disrupt a Philippine supply mission to soldiers stationed in a grounded warship in a South China Sea shoal.

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– Rappler.com