ASEANEWS HEADLINE-ASIA GEOPOLITICS: MANILA, Philippines: Marcos, Japan PM tackle US tariffs, China sea aggression
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos welcome Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and his wife, Ishiba Yoshiko, on April 29, 2025 at Malacañang./ PPA pool photos by Marianne Bermudez and Yummie Dingding
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MANILA, Philippines — There are “better solutions” to the dire impacts of the reciprocal tariffs imposed by the United States, visiting Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru said yesterday, as he vowed to listen more to other countries for insights.
At a meeting with President Marcos last night, Ishiba said Japan and the Philippines agreed to start talks on security deals that would allow them to provide vital supplies and services and exchange intelligence information as they affirmed the importance of a rules-based order in the face of China’s aggressive acts in the region.
“On the status of the global economy, we discussed the tariff measures taken by the United States as well as the impact felt on the multilateral free trade regime and the world economy because of the reciprocal retaliations seen with the United States and China,” the Japanese leader said.
“Many Japanese companies have been playing a role in the local economy here in the Philippines. I conveyed to President Marcos that I will listen carefully to the voices so that they will be able to bring forth better solutions,” he added.
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(FAKE PHOTO?) Photo from Chinese state media shows Chinese soldiers holding a flag of the People’s Republic of China at Sandy Cay./ STAR / File
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Ishiba said Japan would also cooperate with the Philippines so that it could use “Japanese strengths” to achieve its goal of attaining upper-middle income status.
“I explained that we will work with the Philippines in a package of cooperations covering telecommunications, AZEC (Asia zero emission community), energy, mineral resources, infrastructure and disaster risk reduction and others. The President and I agreed to further strengthen our partnership in these areas,” he added.
Ishiba also invited Marcos to attend the Osaka Expo 2025, which started last April 13 and will run until Oct. 13.
Negotiations on a potential Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) and a security of information deal were among the topics discussed during their meeting.
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The meeting was one of the highlights of Ishiba’s two-day official visit that seeks to further strengthen the strategic partnership between Manila and Tokyo.
“Japan has been of great assistance in helping us achieve our aspiration for peace and friendship with all nations with strength and with integrity. Further, we have agreed to start negotiations on an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement,” Marcos said after his bilateral meeting with the Japanese leader.
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Ishiba said he was deeply moved that Japan and the Philippines are “now partners closing in on alliance,” noting that the two countries’ bilateral security cooperation has deepened in a multilayered way.
“We agreed to start the negotiation through ACSA or the acquisition and cross servicing agreement. We also confirmed to start the government-to-government discussion on potential conclusion of security of information agreement in the future,” he said.
“I’d like to further strengthen communication as well as cooperation with President Marcos.”
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An ACSA provides a framework for the reciprocal provision of supplies and services between two militaries.
Marcos and Ishiba announced plans to commence negotiations on the ACSA nearly a year after Manila and Tokyo signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) that established procedures for the cooperative activities between their armed forces. The RAA was designed to facilitate the implementation of cooperative activities, such as joint exercises and disaster relief, and improve the interoperability between the Philippine and Japanese forces.
While they did not mention China, the two leaders emphasized the need for a rules-based order in the region, which continues to be gripped by tensions spawned by longstanding disputes over areas in the East and South China seas.
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“I look forward to continuing our strengthened strategic partnership with Japan, a country that shares our ideals and aspirations of upholding democratic institutions and a rules-based international order,” Marcos said.
“I hope that our two nations can continuously communicate with each other to oppose attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas by force or coercion and to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific based on rule of law,” Ishiba said.
China claims practically the entire South China Sea while the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan have overlapping claims. A Hague-based arbitral tribunal voided China’s expansive claim in 2016 but the Chinese government refused to recognize the ruling.
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Like the Philippines, Japan is also embroiled in a dispute with China as both countries claim ownership of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
Meanwhile, the first of the five new 97-meter patrol ships purchased from Japan are expected to arrive in late 2027, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday.
Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, commandant of the PCG, provided an update on the purchase contract during the visit of Admiral Seguchi Yoshio of the Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) to the PCG headquarters yesterday.
The soon-to-be-delivered vessel would be similar to BRP Teresa Magbanua, he said. “We would be buying five more ships from Japan, same class as the BRP Teresa Magbanua. This is one of the flagship projects of President Marcos,” Gavan said.
Gavan recalled that when the PCG was separated from the Philippine Navy in 1998, Japan was the first country to help in the development of the PCG, particularly in the aspect of human resources. Up to now, the JCG has been organizing trainings for PCG officials and personnel. — Evelyn Macairan
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