Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida yesterday said that his country, the Philippines and the US were cooperating to protect the freedom of the South China Sea as he committed to help enhance Manila’s security capabilities, a day after Washington and Beijing held “candid” talks on maritime issues.
“In the South China Sea, trilateral cooperation to protect the freedom of the sea is under way,” Kishida, on an official visit, said in an address before the Philippine Congress in the capital, Manila.
Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr agreed on Friday to start negotiations on a reciprocal troop access deal to enhance military cooperation as China becomes increasingly assertive in the region.
Photo: AFP
The Philippines and Japan, two of the US’ closest Asian allies, have taken a strong line against what they see as aggressive behavior by Chinese vessels amid decades-old disputes over maritime sovereignty.
Last month China and the Philippines traded accusations over a collision in the disputed waters of the South China Sea as Chinese vessels blocked Philippine boats supplying forces there.
Although Tokyo does not have any claim to the South China Sea, it has a maritime dispute with Beijing in the East China Sea.
“Japan will continue to contribute to the enhancement of the Philippines’ security capabilities, thereby contributing to regional peace and stability,” Kishida said.
Japan in March observed US-Philippine military drills, and in June the Philippine and Japanese coast guards trained together for the first time.
“Through these efforts, let us protect the maritime order, which is governed by laws and rules, not by force,” said Kishida, who in December last year unveiled Japan’s biggest military buildup as it looks to counter China’s growing military might.
Kishida said that Japan agreed to provide the Philippines with coastal surveillance radars, the first cooperation project under its Official Security Assistance program, aimed at helping boost deterrence capabilities of Tokyo’s partner countries.
The radars are to be placed in five areas along the Philippines coast, Kyodo News reported yesterday, citing an unnamed Japanese senior government official.
The report said the radars would be a fixed type and used by the Philippine Navy for coastal surveillance, but did not give further details on where the radars would be placed.
The US Department of State on Friday said that US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs Mark Lambert and Chinese Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs Director-General Hong Liang (洪亮) discussed maritime issues in Beijing, with the US underscoring its concerns about “dangerous and unlawful” Chinese actions.
“The two sides held substantive, constructive and candid discussions on a range of maritime issues, including the situation in the South China Sea and East China Sea,” the US State Department said in a statement.
The US side reiterated the need to resume military-to-military channels, “to avoid miscommunication and miscalculation,” it said.
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