Japan, Philippines set for key talks as China tensions rise

MANILA – Top diplomats and defence chiefs from Japan and the Philippines will hold talks seeking to bolster security ties as tensions with China escalate.

Japan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defence Minister Minoru Kihara will visit Manila to meet their Filipino counterparts on July 8, the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said on June 28.

The four ministers are expected to discuss defence and security issues in the region, the agency said. The meeting, called “2+2”, is the highest consultative mechanism between the two nations.

Manila and Tokyo are working on a reciprocal access agreement (RAA), a key defence pact that is expected to facilitate mutual military visits.

“We believe that concluding the RAA is the most effective for having further collaboration with the Philippines,” Japanese lawmaker and former defence minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters in Manila on June 28 after a meeting with top Philippine officials.

“Next month, we will have 2+2 meetings, and that time, I hope the RAA will be ratified,” said Mr Onodera.

The two US allies are pushing to deepen their defence ties as they face tensions with China. Both nations have territorial disputes with Beijing in the East and South China Seas.

The high-level talks also come after Philippine and Chinese vessels had their most serious encounter in the disputed waters on June 17.

“The challenges in the West Philippine Sea that the country faces are a legitimate concern for the international community, impacting the regional peace and stability,” Mr Onodera said, using Manila’s term for waters within its exclusive economic zone.

“Any severe incident occurring in the Indo-Pacific area will give severe economic damage to Japan and the Philippines and other countries as well,” said Japanese lawmaker Yoshiaki Wada, who joined Mr Onodera in the Manila visit.

“So Japan and the Philippines should work together to make sure that such incidents in West Philippine Sea should not happen any further and to do so Japan is committed, ready to provide necessary assets,” Mr Wada said. BLOOMBERG