Philippine President expressed hope that agreements with America, Japan will change the situation in the South China Sea.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday that a cooperation agreement between the Philippines, the United States and Japan would change the dynamics in the South China Sea and the region, while he sought to reassure China that it was not a target. “I think the trilateral agreement is extremely important,” Marcos said at a news conference in Washington, a day after meeting President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the nations’ first trilateral summit.

It’s going to change the dynamics that we see around the South China Sea in the region, in Asia, in ASEAN, Marcos said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The three leaders expressed grave concern about China’s dangerous and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, which is a channel for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce between China and other countries through various maritime disputes. Nevertheless, Marcos said that the summit was not directed against any country, but focused on deepening economic and security ties between Manila, Washington, and Tokyo.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that found Beijing’s sweeping claims have no legal basis. There have been several confrontations between Philippine and Chinese ships over the past month, including the use of water cannon and heated exchanges. Beijing on Thursday summoned Manila’s ambassador and a Japanese Embassy official to protest what its Foreign Ministry described as negative comments.