(CNN) President Joe Biden welcomed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines to the White House Monday as part of continued efforts to strengthen security and economic ties in the region amid concerns about an increasingly assertive China.
Sitting in the Oval Office at the start of their talks, Biden said the US “remains unwavering in our commitment to defending the Philippines, including the South China Sea.”
“We will continue to support the modernization goals of the Philippine military,” Biden told the visiting guide, pledging the two nations “not just to share a strong partnership — we share a deep friendship that has been enriched by millions of Filipino-Americans in communities throughout.” the U.S.”
Afterward, Marcos told Biden that their two countries “must find ways to strengthen our alliances and partnerships,” saying that the ongoing tensions in Asia represent the world’s most complicated geopolitical situation.
The meeting was a show of solidarity meant to send a message to China that America remains committed to its allies in the neighborhood. A 1951 U.S.-Philippines mutual defense treaty — the oldest such U.S. pact in Asia-Pacific — stipulates that both sides would help defend each other if one of them was attacked by a third party would.
The White House invitation was also a sign of Biden’s intent to restore strong ties with Manila after they failed under former President Rodrigo Duterte, who sought closer ties with China.
A White House fact sheet released Monday detailed new steps and initiatives the two allies are committing to, including a set of new bilateral defense policies to strengthen the alliance and the transfer of US hardware — including three C-130 aircraft and additional coastal patrol ships — Support efforts to modernize Manila’s armed forces.
Other initiatives include a U.S. trade mission to the Philippines later this year and $3 billion in public and private funding to strengthen critical minerals infrastructure, the fact sheet said.
Marcos’ visit caps a busy month of bilateral engagements as defense ties between the two nations have expanded, raising alarm in Beijing. Thousands of American and Filipino troops have participated in joint exercises over the past three weeks. And the US recently invited two top Philippine diplomats for talks, where both sides agreed to develop a roadmap for Washington to provide security assistance to its regional ally over the next five to 10 years.
Last year, the US granted $100 million to boost the Southeast Asian country’s defense capabilities and military modernization. It also plans to allocate $100 million to upgrade military bases that the US has access to under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
In February, the Philippines gave the US military new rights to add four bases to the five bases originally covered by the EDCA. The new facilities include three on the main island of Luzon near Taiwan and one in the province of Palawan in the South China Sea.
China, which remains one of the Philippines’ key trading partners, has been increasingly vocal about the burgeoning US-Philippine defense relationship.
Beijing’s ambassador to Manila Huang Xilian last month accused the Philippines of “stoking up” regional tensions by offering the US expanded access to military bases, saying the goal is to meddle in China’s affairs with Taiwan .
China’s ruling Communist Party has never controlled Taiwan, but has claimed the island’s self-governing democracy and has repeatedly refused to rule out a violent takeover – a threat Manila sees as a reason to step up its vigilance with Washington’s help.
A spokesman for Marcos’ National Security Council responded to Huang’s remarks by saying that “the Philippines has no intention of interfering in the Taiwan issue.”
Marcos, known by the nickname Bongbong almost everywhere in the Philippines, is the son of longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., whose regime was supported by the United States. As a Senator, Biden was openly opposed to American support for Marcos Sr.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Brad Lendon and Shawna Mizelle contributed to this report.