Japanese and Philippine defense leaders agree on strategic dialogue amid concerns over China’s actions in the region.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr announced on Monday that they have agreed to establish a “strategic dialogue” between their militaries and a “high-level framework” for defense equipment and technology cooperation.
At a news conference marking the end of Nakatani’s two-day visit to the Philippines, he stated that he and Teodoro had determined the need for strengthened cooperation in order to protect “peace and stability” in the region.
“We strongly agreed that the security environment around us is worsening, and that as strategic partners, our two countries must enhance defense cooperation and collaboration to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” Nakatani informed journalists.
Before their meeting on Monday, Teodoro mentioned that both countries share a common goal in resisting “unilateral efforts by China and other nations to alter the international order and the narrative.”
Japan and the Philippines, both allies of the United States, have been among the most outspoken critics of China’s attempts to exert control over the South China Sea, which is estimated to account for about one-third of global shipping.
China claims more than 90 percent of the waterway, which also has territorial claims from Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei.
A 2016 international tribunal ruling in The Hague determined that Beijing had no legal justification for its claims and violated international law by damaging the natural environment and interfering with Philippine fishing and oil exploration.
At the time, Beijing stated it did not “accept or recognize” the ruling, calling it “invalid”.
Last week, the Philippine Presidential Office for Maritime Concerns accused the Chinese navy of endangering lives after a surveillance plane carrying journalists flew 3 meters (10 feet) away from a Chinese helicopter over the contested Scarborough Shoal.
China’s military accused Manila of “hyping and smearing” lawful actions after the Philippine aircraft allegedly “illegally intruded” into Chinese airspace.
