In recent times, Japan has significantly increased military spending, expanded defense partnerships, and increased aid programs in an effort to draw the Philippines into a united front. Japan and the Philippines are also deploying in the East China Sea and South China Sea. From this point of view, not only Japan has stepped on the red line, but the attitude of the Philippines may have changed.
Philippine President Marcos visited Japan from February 8 to 12. According to the Global Times citing Japan’s Kyodo News on February 10, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held talks with Marcos on the 9th. An agreement was reached on the dispatch of the guards to the Philippines for disaster relief and the facilitation of humanitarian aid procedures. Kyodo News claimed that this move is aimed at China, which has increasingly frequent military activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea, and aims to deepen bilateral security cooperation.
Japanese media reported that during the talks, both Japan and the Philippines agreed to take the opportunity of signing the Agreement on Facilitation of Dispatch Procedures of the Self-Defense Forces to continue to study ways to strengthen joint training between the Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine Army and facilitate mutual exchanges between troops of the two sides. The two sides plan to increase the joint training of the troops of Japan, the United States and the Philippines to deepen the relationship. The Japanese side believes that the Philippines is not only in the South China Sea and other regions, but also a part of containing China when there are “events in the Taiwan Strait”.
In this regard, military observer Liang Yongchun said that Japan is stepping up its defense cooperation with the Philippines. In addition to trying to spread its influence abroad, it also wants to use the Philippines as a springboard to outflank it from the southwest and interfere in the Taiwan issue.
On the afternoon of March 30, according to the “Ministry of National Defense” news, at the regular press conference of the Ministry of National Defense, a reporter asked: “During the talks between the foreign and defense ministers of Japan and the Philippines, they expressed concern about China’s strengthening of military activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea. Alluding to China’s unilateral change of the status quo by virtue of its strength, it said it will closely cooperate with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine Army, and strengthen cooperation with the United States.”
In this regard, the spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, said that for a period of time, some countries have adhered to the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game concept, and used the so-called “China coercion” and “China military threat” to engage in “small courtyards and high walls” and military expansion. , we firmly oppose it. What needs to be emphasized is that the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands are China’s inherent territory. China has indisputable sovereignty over islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters. The Chinese military will take necessary measures to resolutely defend its own territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in response to individual countries’ infringement and provocations on issues such as the Diaoyu Islands and the South China Sea.
Source: baijiahao.baidu
