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A man looks at the cherry blossom trees at the Chuo district of Tokyo. Japan’s Vice-Foreign Minister Masataka Okano, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Maria Theresa Lazaro, an undersecretary of the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department, met in Tokyo on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Asia

Japan, US, Philippines vow to boost ties ahead of April summit

  • They agreed on close collaboration to reinforce a ‘free and open international order based on the rule of law’ and toward economic growth in the region
  • The US has been stepping up bilateral and trilateral defence cooperation with Japan and the Philippines to counter China’s territorial claims and military build-up
Diplomacy
Kyodo
Kyodo
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Senior diplomats from Japan, the United States and the Philippines on Thursday pledged to further promote their cooperation, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said, paving the way for their first-ever trilateral summit next month.

The senior officials also acknowledged that any attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force cannot be tolerated, according to the ministry, in an apparent criticism of China’s increasing maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

Japan’s Vice-Foreign Minister Masataka Okano, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Maria Theresa Lazaro, an undersecretary of the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department, met in Tokyo.

The three agreed on close collaboration to maintain and reinforce a “free and open international order based on the rule of law” and toward economic growth in the region, the ministry said.

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Why is the Philippines aligning itself with the US after years of close China ties under Duterte

Why is the Philippines aligning itself with the US after years of close China ties under Duterte
At the outset of the talks, Okano said they would ensure thorough preparation for the summit between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, US President Joe Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, scheduled for April 11 in Washington.

The diplomats also vowed to steadily advance their partnership in areas such as maritime security, cyber defence, economic security, strategically key infrastructure and securing energy resources, according to the ministry.

The United States has been stepping up its bilateral and trilateral defence cooperation with Japan and the Philippines in recent years to counter China’s territorial claims and military build-up in the East and South China seas, as well as around Taiwan.

Kishida and Biden are scheduled to meet bilaterally the day before the three-way summit. Kishida will visit the United States as a state guest, marking the first such visit by a Japanese leader since then-prime minister Shinzo Abe’s trip in 2015.

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