Biden will meet with Philippine and Japanese leaders as worry grows over China’s Indo-Pacific action

By AAMER MADHANI
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is gathering Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a first-of-its-kind White House summit. Thursday’s meeting is aimed at demonstrating Washington, Manila and Tokyo are in lockstep in their concerns about China’s military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific. Senior Biden administration officials say the leaders will announce their nations’ coast guards will hold a joint patrol in the Indo-Pacific this year, a follow-up on law enforcement drills carried out last year by the allies in waters near the disputed South China Sea. Kishida visited Capitol Hill for a Thursday address to lawmakers that focused on the need to strengthen the partnership between the U.S. and Japan.