MANILA, February 15 ------ United States President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru have conveyed “serious opposition” to China’s maritime claims as well as “threatening and provocative activities” in the South China Sea (SCS).
The two leaders reaffirmed their position during a bilateral summit in Washington D.C. on Feb. 7, where they also opposed Beijing’s militarization of reclaimed features in the sea lane. “The two leaders shared views on the severe and complex security environment and expressed their determination to continuously cooperate to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the White House said in a statement.
The Philippines has condemned China’s increased presence in the West Philippine Sea, the area covering the country’s maritime zones in the South China Sea, and its recent deployment of coast guard vessels some 100 nautical miles off the Zambales province coastline. Trump and Ishiba reaffirmed their willingness to advance their “multilayered and aligned cooperation” among like-minded countries, including through its trilateral setup with Manila.
On top of promoting a free Indo-Pacific, the leaders said the cooperation would bring “high-quality infrastructure investments in the region,” such as the deployment of Open Radio Access Networks in third countries. The US and Japan earlier pledged USD8 million for Open Radio Access Network (RAN) field trials, which aims to ensure a reliable and secure information and communications technology ecosystem in the country. This month, Japan will formally sign the diplomatic notes for its non-project grant aid for an Open RAN System at the University of the Philippines.
Source: pna.gov.ph
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