Following the strengthening of maritime cooperation with Vietnam in May 2023, the Philippines has now also begun talks with Japan on a reciprocal agreement that would allow the stationing of armed forces on each other's soil in view of the growing tensions in the region.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on the sidelines of a summit between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Tokyo that tensions in the South China Sea had increased rather than decreased in recent months and warned that a "more assertive China" posed a "real challenge" to its Asian neighbours. Manila and Beijing have already exchanged blows over the collision of two of their ships near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. Japan also has maritime disputes with China in the East China Sea.
In an interview with Japanese media, Marcos emphasised the need to forge strong alliances with like-minded people, similar to the trilateral cooperation between the Philippines, Japan and the United States. We will continue to work for peace and maintain communication between all countries involved. But the Philippines will defend its rights in the South China Sea after the collision, which is a "serious escalation".
Overview map between Japan and the Philippines. Source: Google Maps
In addition to the Philippines, the ASEAN states of Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam also lay claim to parts of the South China Sea. China claims almost the entire sea for itself, through which an annual trade volume of more than 3 trillion US dollars is handled by ship.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague/NDL declared in 2016 that China's claims have no legal basis, a judgement that Beijing rejects.
The easing of tensions, as expected in the article "ASEAN/Indonesia backs Code of Conduct for South China Sea" from 20 November 2023, is therefore still a long way off. to the article
Source: gCaptain
English 
German
0 Kommentare