The upcoming trilateral summit between the United States, Philippines and Japan will include an agreement to maintain security and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday, Paralel.Az repots citing Reuters.

Marcos is set to leave for Washington on Wednesday afternoon for talks with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

"(The summit) will contain more details in the sense of how cooperation will be implemented," Marcos told reporters.

Marcos is also set to hold a bilateral meeting with Biden ahead of the meeting among the three leaders.

The Philippines under Marcos has deepened military ties with both the United States and Japan as maritime run-ins with China in the South China Sea have escalated.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, overlapping with territorial claims of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague said China's claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected."