The rusting Philippine ship forcing Joe Biden and his Asia allies to focus on China

A rusting vessel stranded on a reef in the South China Sea was likely among the geopolitical flashpoints under scrutiny when Joe Biden held historic summits with his Japanese and Philippine counterparts last week in Washington.

The common theme was China and its growing assertiveness in the region — and the US president is sending a clear message to Beijing that Washington is bolstering its alliances in the Indo-Pacific.

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