MANILA: Japan and the Philippines vowed on Wednesday (Jan 15) to expand security cooperation to oppose China’s operations in critical sea trade routes, amid fears that incoming US President Donald Trump could reduce military obligations in Asia. Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met with Filipino colleague Enrique Manalo and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in Manila to reaffirm security pledges.
Iwaya and Manalo spoke about Beijing’s efforts to exert control over the South China Sea, a critical commerce route, as well as Beijing’s territory and sovereign rights claims in the East China Sea, which overlap with Japan’s. In response to the developments in the South China Sea, we resolved to deepen Japan-Philippines cooperation,” Iwaya said during a joint press conference.
He vowed to continue Japanese aid in improving the Philippines’ “maritime security” and “maritime safety capabilities,” which have been engaged in increasingly tense confrontations with China over disputed South China Sea waters and reefs over the last year.China claims the majority of the crucial waterway, despite an international tribunal judgement that its claim has no legal basis.
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