Philippines, Japan foreign and defence ministers to meet July 8 in Manila
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The Philippines has been ramping up its ties with neighbours and other countries to counter what it describes as China’s growing aggression in the South China Sea.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MANILA - The Philippines and Japan will hold a 2+2 foreign and defence ministerial meeting in Manila on July 8 to discuss regional defence and security matters, amid increasing tensions in the South China Sea.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defence Minister Minoru Kihara will meet their Philippine counterparts Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro Jr, Manila's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on June 28.
The meeting comes as the Philippines and Japan are negotiating a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) that would deepen defence cooperation between two key allies of the United States in Asia.
Japanese lawmaker and former defence minister Itsunori Onodera, who visited Manila this week along with two other lawmakers, said he hopes an RAA pact will make rapid progress during the high-level talks in July.
“I hope the RAA will be ratified,” Mr Onodera told a briefing.
The Philippines has been ramping up its ties with neighbours and other countries to counter what it describes as China’s growing aggression in the South China Sea
Japan and China, on the other hand, have faced off in the East China Sea in tiny, uninhabited islands that Beijing calls the Diaoyu and Tokyo calls the Senkaku.
“I believe the Philippines and Japan have something in common,” Mr Onodera said, referring to their clashes with China in disputed waters.
“We oppose any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo,” Mr Onodera said.
In February 2023, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed in Tokyo that their militaries would cooperate on disaster relief, a deal that paved the way for RAA negotiations with Japan. REUTERS
