The United States, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia's defense ministers met for the first time as a quadrilateral on June 3 in Singapore, concurrent with the Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit.
Without going into greater detail, the defense ministers talked about "regional issues of common interest and opportunities to expand cooperation," according to Japan's Defense Ministry.
“Also, they affirmed that they share a vision for a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ and collectively make efforts to ensure the vision continues to thrive,” the ministry said in a statement.
In order to keep peace, "the primacy of the rule-of-law" must be kept, according to Philippine Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez, who also called for "continued pursuit of dialogue and multilateralism" during the summit.
In order "to preserve the global order at sea and uphold the universally recognized principles of international law," Galvez asked all parties to publicly accept the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award, according to the Philippines' Defense Ministry.
An international arbitration decision rejected Beijing's claim of sovereignty over practically the entire South China Sea in 2016, however the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) did not alter its actions as a result of the decision.
As indicated by the deployment of over 100 Chinese militia marine vessels inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in April, the CCP has been acting more forcefully in the South China Sea lately.
In an effort to offset Beijing's growing presence in its territorial waters, the PCG put five navigational buoys to show its authority over the nation's EEZ in the South China Sea last month.
In February, the Philippines and the US decided to resume coordinated marine patrols in the disputed area that had been put on hold in 2016 under the rule of then-Palestinian President Rodrigo Duterte.
According to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the United States wants to deepen its relations with the Philippines "in every way possible" and is ready to assist with the modernization of its armed forces.
“We conduct more than 500 defense engagements together every year,” Austin told reporters after meeting with Galvez in Manila on Feb 2.
“And as President [Joe] Biden has made clear, America’s commitment to the defense of the Philippines is ironclad,” he added.
According to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which states that the two countries will protect one another in the event of an attack, the Philippines and the United States are allies.
