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Japan's Ishiba to Visit Philippines 04/29 06:20
MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrived
in the Philippines on Tuesday to further boost an alliance in the face of
China's growing assertiveness in the region.
Ishiba will meet Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in Manila later
Tuesday at the start of his two-day visit. Their talks are expected to focus on
China's aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea and East China Sea,
a reaffirmation of their commitment to a three-way alliance with the United
States, and the barrage of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, officials
said.
Japanese and Philippine officials are expected to start negotiations this
year on two defense pacts, including a proposed defense logistical agreement
that would allow the provision of food, fuel and other necessities when
Japanese forces visit the Philippines for joint training under a major defense
accord that was signed last year and is expected to be ratified by the Japanese
legislature.
Another proposed agreement involves the security of highly confidential
defense and military information the countries could share. Talks on this
agreement are also expected to start this year, according to Japanese and
Philippine officials.
"In the South China Sea and East China Sea, China has made unilateral
attempts to change the status quo by force," Ishiba said in a news conference
in Tokyo over the weekend before embarking on a trip to Vietnam and the
Philippines. "I intend to further strengthen our cooperation with regard to
security."
Chinese coast guard and navy ships, along with suspected militia vessels,
have been accused of separately ramming and blocking and using powerful water
cannons against Philippine and Vietnamese ships in the disputed South China Sea
in recent years.
China claims virtually the entire waterway, where it has bolstered its coast
guard and navy presence and built artificial island bases to fortify its
claims. Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the
long-simmering territorial standoffs.
In the East China Sea, China has routinely sent coast guard vessels and
planes into waters and airspace surrounding islands that are claimed by both
Tokyo and Beijing to harass Japanese vessels. That has prompted Japan at times
to scramble jets in response.
The U.S. has repeatedly warned China over its escalating acts of aggression
in the disputed waters against Japan and the Philippines, which are among
Washington's staunchest treaty allies in Asia.
However, Trump's tariff impositions on Japan and the Philippines, among
other countries worldwide, have sparked an awkward dilemma among the close
security allies.
"The U.S. tariff measures have dealt a major blow to the economies of both
Vietnam and the Philippines. In addition, there have been major impacts on
Japanese companies expanding into these countries," said Ishiba, who was
scheduled to meet Japanese company executives in the Philippines to hear their
concerns.
"Those comments will serve us well as we craft Japan's policies in response
to the tariffs imposed by President Trump," Ishiba said ahead of his trip.
After visiting a Japanese war memorial in Laguna province, south of Manila,
on Wednesday, the Japanese leader is scheduled to board in Manila the BRP
Magbanua, one of the two largest patrol ships built by Japan for the Philippine
coast guard.
The Magbanua has figured in increasingly hostile faceoffs with the Chinese
coast guard in the South China Sea and was damaged in one tense encounter last
year in the disputed Sabina Shoal. The countries accused each other then of
instigating the high seas confrontation.
Japan has supplied a dozen patrol ships in recent years to the Philippines,
which is using them largely to defend its territorial interest in the South
China Sea. Japan plans to build at least five more patrol ships for the
Philippines. It has also provided radars and other defense equipment for the
Philippine military.
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