Before a crucial trilateral summit, the White House expresses worry over China’s South China Sea actions.

in a time when President Joe Biden is getting ready to bring two Asian friends closer together in a historic meeting on Thursday, a senior administration official stated that the White House is highly concerned about China’s actions in the South China Sea.

Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will be welcomed to the White House by Vice President Joe Biden, who will be hosting the first-ever summit of the presidents of the United States of America, Japan, and the Philippines. This will take place one day after the official visit of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

China and Japan are engaged in distinct territorial disputes. In the case of Japan, the disagreement pertains to the Senkaku Islands, which are located in the East China Sea, while in the case of the Philippines, the dispute is centered on portions of the South China Sea.

Both the Philippines and China have been focusing their attention on Second Thomas Shoal, which is located approximately 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the coast of the island of Palawan in the Philippines. In the 1990s, the Philippines grounded an elderly navy transport ship that had been in service during World War II on the shoal in order to assist in the enforcement of its claim to the territory. There are Filipino marines stationed on rotation who are currently operating the ship, which is a rusty debris for the most part.

China, on the other hand, asserts that the shoal, which is located within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, is part of its sovereign territory, just as it does with a significant portion of the South China Sea, in violation of a verdict from an international arbitration body. Recent conflicts have arisen as a result of China Coast Guard ships firing water cannons at Philippine resupply boats, which has resulted in casualties to Filipino sailors and damage to the vessels. These incidents have occurred when the Philippines attempted to replenish the forces that were on board the ship.

At the meeting that took place on Thursday, the administration made its most recent attempt to deal with the kind of hostility that is being displayed by China. There have been previous reports from CNN indicating that the three presidents will engage in confidential conversations on the South China Sea.

“What you’ll see is a clear demonstration of support and resolve from both President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida that we stand shoulder to shoulder with Marcos ready to support and work with the Philippines at every turn,” said an official before to the meeting that was scheduled to take place on Thursday.

The summit takes place at a time when the region is struggling to cope with the unpredictability of China’s aggressive posture toward Taiwan and the South China Sea, as well as the nuclear provocations from North Korea and its growing alliance with Russia. These are the kinds of worries that have brought regional allies closer to the United States.

Kishida has drastically modified Japan’s defense posture in recent years and has provided continued support to Ukraine in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As a result, Japan has been at the center of Biden’s efforts to establish alliances in the Indo-Pacific region. Officials have recognized Kishida as a willing partner in this endeavor. Kishida has pledged to raise the rate of defense spending by 2% of GDP by the year 2037. Additionally, he has purchased American Tomahawk missiles in order to enhance the country’s ability to launch counterattacks.

As a demonstration of his intention to reestablish strong ties with Manila, which had become strained under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who desired closer relations with China, Vice President Joe Biden hosted Marcos at the White House in the previous year. The United States and the Philippines signed a mutual defense treaty in 1951, which is the oldest such US pact in the Asia-Pacific region. The treaty says that both countries would assist in the defense of the other in the event that either of them were attacked by a third party.

Biden made a commitment to the visiting leader that the two countries “not only share a strong partnership – we share a deep friendship, one that has been enriched by millions of Filipino Americans in the communities all across the United States.” During that visit, Biden told the visiting leader, “We are going to continue to support the Philippines military’s modernization goals.”

Expected statements that are intended to strengthen the Philippines in the midst of conflicts with China will be a centerpiece of the conference that will take place on Thursday.

An additional statement was made by a senior administration official, stating that the White House will be making an announcement regarding a new infrastructure project in the Philippines on Thursday. A reporter for CNN said earlier this week that one of the announcements will be the creation of a new rail and shipping corridor between the Clark Air Base in the Philippines and the Subic Naval Base. This action is intended to send a clear message to Beijing.

In addition, it is anticipated that the White House would boost the capabilities of the Filipino military by implementing a new infrastructure investment, which will be comparable to what the United States declared in India in the run-up to the G20 summit.

The United States of America, Japan, and the Philippines, along with Australia, carried out maritime military exercises in the vicinity of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippines in the days preceding up to the summit. These exercises were carried out in response to Philippine boats’ allegations of “harassment” by Chinese ships in the South China Sea.

The senior official went on to say that the White House will also be making statements on “Open Radio Access Network technology,” and that the United States of America and Japan will each be providing funding in the millions of dollars.

At the same time, officials stated that they will make an announcement regarding a future Coast Guard patrol in the Indo-Pacific region that will take place “in the coming year.”