The leaders of Japan and the Philippines are set to agree Tuesday on the start of discussions to pave the way for the conclusion of key security pacts, aiming to further strengthen their security ties with China in mind, government sources said.
At their summit in Manila, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are also expected to confirm that their coast guards will conduct joint drills and to exchange views on the global economy amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s imposition of higher import tariffs.
The two sides are focusing on an intelligence-sharing pact to protect confidential information and a bilateral acquisition and cross-servicing agreement to facilitate the exchange of defense supplies and logistical support, the Japanese sources said.
Japan and the Philippines, both close U.S. security allies, have been boosting their cooperation in recent years, as the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific has gained importance with China intensifying its maritime activities in the region.
Asserting Beijing’s territorial claims, Chinese vessels have acted aggressively against Philippine ships near disputed shoals in the South China Sea, while repeatedly entering waters around the uninhabited Senkaku Islands controlled by Japan in the East China Sea.
In July, Tokyo and Manila signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement, which eliminated restrictions on defense personnel transfers for joint drills and disaster relief operations. The Philippines became Japan’s third RAA partner after Australia and Britain.
As for Trump’s tariffs, Japan and the Philippines are not only concerned about the negative impact of the higher U.S. levies on their exports but also of a further escalation of the trade war between the United States and China, their major trading partners.
Ishiba arrived in Manila on Tuesday after visiting Vietnam on his four-day trip through Wednesday, his third to Southeast Asia since taking office in October. He visited Laos that month and Malaysia and Indonesia in January.