Words matter.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/biden-china-philippines-war-warning-blinken

Biden administration issues early warning to China after ‘verbal threat of war’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is pledging U.S. protection for the Philippines after an aggressive move from China that Manila deems “a verbal threat of war,” wasting little time in sending a warning to a top adversary early in the Biden administration.