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Joe Biden’s China policy
ChinaDiplomacy

China-US tension: Biden administration pledges to back Japan and Philippines in maritime disputes

  • US secretary of state says America will stand with Southeast Asian claimants in the face of pressure from Beijing in South China Sea
  • Phone calls with ministers from Australia and Thailand underscore US drive to strengthen military and security alliances in Indo-Pacific

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In his first days as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with counterparts in Asia, the Pacific and Europe. The calls have included discussion of defence and security in regions such as the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific. Photo: Reuters
Wendy WuandTeddy Ng

The United States has pledged to support its allies involved in maritime disputes over both the South and East China seas – where China is locking horns with its neighbours – as the newly installed US administration is renewing alliances in Asia and Europe.

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On Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Joe Biden talked about the defence of the Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan, in the East China Sea, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged support to the Philippines in the event of armed attacks in the South China Sea.

Blinken “reaffirmed that a strong US-Philippine alliance is vital to a free and open Indo-Pacific region” in a call with Philippine foreign minister Teodoro Locsin, according to a statement from the US Department of State.

The US secretary of state “stressed the importance of the Mutual Defence Treaty for the security of both nations, and its clear application to armed attacks against the Philippine armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific, which includes the South China Sea”, the statement said.

“Secretary Blinken also underscored that the United States rejects China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea to the extent they exceed the maritime zones that China is permitted to claim under international law as reflected in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention,” the readout said.

Blinken also pledged to stand with Southeast Asian claimants in the face of China’s pressure, it added.

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