US, Philippines, Japan to Tackle South China Sea Incidents

Manolo Serapio Jr.
·1 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Leaders of the Philippines, US and Japan will tackle at next week’s meeting the recent incidents in the South China Sea which escalated tensions between Manila and Beijing, a Philippine official said.

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“We can expect an alignment of views among the three countries on the recent incidents in the West Philippine Sea,” Foreign Affairs Deputy Undersecretary Hans Mohaimin Siriban told a televised briefing on Friday, using Manila’s term for the disputed waters.

In the latest confrontation between Chinese and Philippine ships last month, Manila said a Filipino civilian boat was severely damaged and some of its crew members were injured when two China Coast Guard ships fired water cannons at it. The China Coast Guard said it acted in “a reasonable and professional manner.”

President Joe Biden will meet with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House on April 11 to discuss trilateral cooperation in the areas of economy as well as peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

“This trilateral cooperation is not directed at any country,” Siriban said, adding that its primary focus is on “building economic resilience” particularly for the Philippines. But he said he hopes the alliance will help “capacitate” the Philippines on maritime security and enhance its capability “to be interoperable with our partners.”

Last week, Marcos vowed to pursue “deliberate” countermeasures against “dangerous attacks” by Chinese ships in the South China Sea, and said he’s in talks with allies to help secure his country’s sovereignty.

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