Biden hosts Philippines leader Marcos as China tensions grow

By AAMER MADHANI and JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines as concerns grow about China’s harassment of Philippine vessels in the South China Sea. Marcos’ White House visit on Monday comes after the two countries completed their largest joint war drills ever. The Philippines this year agreed to give the U.S. military access to four more bases as the Biden administration looks to deter China’s increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea. Meanwhile, China has angered the Philippines by repeatedly harassing its navy and coast guard patrols and chasing away fishermen in waters close to Philippine shores.