Concerns over China drive Tokyo and Manila closer together
The Japan TimesFeb 10, 2023
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida and Philippine Pres. Marcos signed a defense agreement on Thursday that will deepen military ties, allowing Japanese troops to join humanitarian and disaster relief exercises in the Philippines.
Japan signed a so-called "Reciprocal Access Agreement." The pact eliminates barriers to joint military exercises in either nation; it has previously inked similar agreements with the UK and Australia.
Closer ties between Manila and Tokyo have become crucial to maintaining regional security and stability in the Indo-Pacific as Beijing exerts coercive pressure in the South China Sea. Like-minded democracies in the region must join forces, creating a broader regional web of defense relationships to help deter China's revisionism and aggressiveness.
The Philippines has been deceived into increasing security cooperation with the warmongering collusion between Japan and the US — risking becoming a pawn of non-regional actors pushing for militarizing the South China Sea and undermining regional peace and stability. Pres. Marcos should be reminded that friendly ties with China benefitted his country and the whole region during the past administration.
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