Japan and the Philippine defense chiefs agree to launch a “strategic dialogue” amid concerns over China’s regional movements.
Japan and the Philippines agree to boost military cooperation amid mutual concern over China’s increasing assertion in the region.
General Nakatani and Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Theodoro agreed on Monday to establish a “strategic dialogue” between the country’s military and “high-level framework” for defense equipment and technical cooperation. He said.
At a press conference showing the conclusion of the two-day visit to the Philippines, Nakatani said he and Theodoro agreed to the need to “enhance cooperation to maintain peace and stability in the region.
“The security environment surrounding us is becoming increasingly more serious, and as strategic partners, two countries further strengthen as strategic partners to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific under such a I firmly agree that it is necessary to do so. The situation,” Nakatani told reporters.
Before Monday’s meeting, Theodoro said the two countries shared a common cause: “China and other countries attempt to unilaterally try to change the international order and narrative.”
Japan and the Philippines, which have a mutual defense treaty with the US, are one of the most vocal critics of Beijing’s efforts to control the South China Sea, and are estimated to carry around a third of global shipping. .
China claims more than 90% of the waterways where the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei all have competing territorial claims.
The 2016 international court decision in The Hague stated that Beijing had no legal justification for its claims, violating international law by harming the natural environment and obstructing the Philippines’ fishing and oil exploration. I found it.
At the time, Beijing called the ruling “not accepting or recognizing it” and called it “invalid.”
Last week, the Philippine President’s Office for Philippine Maritime Concerns put their lives at risk after flying a helicopter within 3 meters (10 feet) of a surveillance plane carrying journalists over a disputed Scarborough shawl He accused him of being there.
Chinese troops have accused Manila of legal action of “promotion and smearing” after Philippine aircraft “illegally invaded” Chinese airspace.
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