US, Japan and Philippines to seek closer coordination on South China Sea —US official

WASHINGTON — A trilateral summit next week between the US, Japan and the Philippines will bring closer coordination on South China Sea issues, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Wednesday.

Campbell made the comment at an event hosted by the Center for a New American Security in Washington, as the US has expressed concern over the Chinese coast guard's use of water cannons on Philippine vessels near Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, or the part of the South China Sea that is within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

US President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. for a summit in Washington on April 11 to discuss economic relations and the Indo-Pacific. Biden will host Kishida for a bilateral summit the day before.

Japan's Kyodo news agency earlier reported that the US, Australia, Japan and the Philippines are planning anti-submarine drills in the South China Sea on April 7. — Reuters