Washington——

U.S. President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House next month for a summit amid concerns about North Korea’s nuclear program, China’s provocative actions in the South China Sea and plans to buy Japanese companies. Disagreement is a growing concern. An iconic American steel company.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Monday that the first U.S.-Japan-Philippines leaders’ summit was an opportunity to highlight the two countries’ “growing economic relationship, proud and unwavering commitment to shared democratic values.” commitment and a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The three leaders had no shortage of issues to discuss.

The news came as North Korean state media reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a live-fire drill with a “super-large” multiple rocket launcher capable of targeting the South Korean capital. North Korea’s statement came after the South Korean and Japanese militaries reported on Monday that they had detected North Korea launching multiple short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, adding to a series of weapons displays that have heightened regional tensions.

U.S.-Japan relations are facing a rare moment of friction since Biden last week announced his opposition to a plan to sell Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel to Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. In announcing his opposition, Biden said the U.S. needed to “maintain a strong U.S. steel company driven by American steelworkers.”

Nippon Steel announced plans in December to acquire U.S. Steel for $14.1 billion in cash, raising concerns about what the deal could mean for union workers, supply chains and U.S. national security.

Meanwhile, long-standing tensions between the Philippines and China are back in the spotlight this month after Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels collided in the disputed South China Sea.

Chinese coast guard ships and accompanying vessels intercepted Philippine coast guard and supply ships near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal and conducted dangerous maneuvers that led to two minor collisions between Chinese vessels and two Philippine vessels, Philippine officials said.

A small Philippine Marine and Navy task force has been conducting surveillance aboard the BRP Sierra Madre, a rusting warship that has been stuck in the shoals of Second Thomas Shoal since the late 1990s.

China also claims sovereignty over a shoal off the western Philippines and has surrounded the atoll with coast guard, navy and other ships to assert its claim and prevent Philippine forces from bringing in construction materials amid a decades-long standoff. Reinforcement of the Sierra Madre Mountains.

When Marcos, the son of the former Filipino strongman and namesake, takes office in 2022, the close relationship between the United States and the Philippines will not be taken for granted.

But both Biden and Marcos have made significant efforts to strengthen the historically complex relationship between the two countries, with both leaders concerned about China’s aggressive actions in the region.

In 1996, a U.S. appeals court upheld an estimated $2 billion in damages to the estate of Marcos Sr. for his torture and killing of thousands of Filipinos. The court upheld the 1994 verdict of a Hawaii jury, where he fled after being forced out of office in 1986. He died there in 1989.

The elder Marcos imposed martial law on the Philippines in 1972, a year before his term was set to expire. He sealed off the country’s parliament and newspaper offices, ordered the arrests of many political opponents and activists, and ruled by decree.

Marcos Jr. paid an official visit to Washington last year, the first by a Philippine president in more than a decade. The U.S. announced Marcos’ upcoming visit to Washington as Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Manila.

Jean-Pierre said that in addition to the leaders’ summit, Biden will also hold one-on-one talks with Marcos. She said the two leaders would discuss efforts to expand cooperation in areas such as economic security, clean energy, people-to-people relations, human rights and democracy.

Biden will pay a state visit to Kishida the day before the leaders’ summit. The White House announced a state visit in January.