Japan, Philippines eye defence cooperation, air ‘serious concern’ over China’s conduct in regional seas at 2+2 meeting
- Tokyo and Manila agreed to consider further expanding defence cooperation against a backdrop of regional tensions and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
- Japan and the Philippines are at odds with China over its conduct in the East and South China Seas, as well as North Korea’s missile tests
Japan and the Philippines agreed on Saturday to consider further expanding defence cooperation against a backdrop of regional tensions and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The meeting in Tokyo of the two Asian nations’ foreign and defence ministers was the first in the “2+2” format between the key US allies.
The foreign and defence ministers of Japan and the Philippines on Saturday voiced “serious concern” about the situation in the East and South China Seas and “strongly opposed” any action that may inflame tensions as China becomes increasingly assertive in regional waters.
In a statement released after the two countries’ first “two-plus-two” security talks in Tokyo, the ministers objected to “unlawful maritime claims, militarisation, coercive activities and threat or use of force in the South China Sea,” without directly referencing China.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi, and their respective Philippine counterparts Teodoro Locsin and Delfin Lorenzana also pledged to further boost cooperation in specific areas of defence and the economy.
As China shows growing maritime assertiveness and moves to increase its clout in the region, Tokyo and Manila vowed to step up efforts to establish peace and stability to realise a “free and open” Indo-Pacific, as advocated by Japan and the United States.
China has routinely sent ships to the East China Sea to navigate waters near the Diaoyu Islands which Beijing claims, and Japan calls the Senkaku Islands. Beijing is also involved in a territorial dispute with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations over the South China Sea.
