New Trilateral Framework in Asia

The leaders of Japan, Philippines and United States delivered a joint statement after their meeting in Washington DC, which stressed historical ties of those three nations including shared values. Expressing serious concern about China’s advance to South or East China Sea, the leaders of Japan and United States pledged certain supports for Philippines to enhance its maritime security. The statement included a plan of trilateral exercise of coast guards to improve their interoperability. 

Philippines is one of the countries which faces maritime advance of China in South China Sea. China built structures in Mischief Reef in 1995, and has been kept it under its control. Philippines deliberately ran aground its navy craft at Second Thomas Shoal and deployed its personnel there.

 

To the case brought by Philippines against China, the Permanent Court of Arbitration concluded in 2016 that China’s historic rights claims within the “nine-dash line” had no lawful effect. China has not accepted the conclusion.

 

The joint vision statement of Japan, Philippines and US expressed their “serious concerns about the People’s Republic of China’s dangerous and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.” The three leaders reiterated their concern on China’s repeated obstruction of Philippine vessels’ exercise of high seas freedom of navigation and disruption of supply lines to Second Thomas Shoal.

 

The statement also expressed serious concerns against China’s actions seeking undermining Japan’s “longstanding and peaceful administration of the Senkaku Islands.” It affirmed the importance of peace and stability across Taiwan Strait.

 

The three leaders agreed on enhancing their trilateral cooperation for free and open Indo-Pacific region. US and Japan would continue to support Philippine Coast Guard capacity building, including Japan’s provision of vessels. Three coast guards plan to conduct an at-sea trilateral exercise and other maritime activities to improve interoperability and maritime security and safety within the next year.

 

Securing supply chains is another major topic of the trilateral relationship. The statement included a new semiconductor workforce development initiative, in which students from Philippine would receive training in American and Japanese universities. The three countries support critical mineral industries “as a way to promote resilient and reliable global supply chains for critical minerals.” Those are the measures against China’s occupation of critical minerals.

 

On the background of this new trilateral cooperation framework, there is a policy shift of United States in the region, from the traditional “hub-and-spoke” type of relationship with the partners to “latticework system” with other countries or frameworks such as Australia, India, ASEAN, QUAD, AUKUS or G7. The implication of new strategy must be close to a quasi-containment policy against China.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amendment of Local Autonomy Law

The House of Representatives started discussion on revision of the Local Autonomy Law, which would vest the national government a power to instruct local government in an emergency. It may change the relationship between the national and local government, which has been recognized as equal. The opposition parties oppose the amendment, arguing that it would give the national government an excessive power.   With the Meiji Restoration, the national government abolished the feudal system, introducing modern governance. However, its autonomy was not sufficient. The governor of each prefecture was appointed by the national government. The local governments subordinated to the national government. It was as late as 2000 when  the Comprehensive Decentralization Law  was enacted and the relationship between the national and local government was defined as equal.   The national government found inconvenience in the relationship between the national and local government, when ...
Read more

Request for Final Nuclear Disposal Site

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry requested Genkai Town, Saga, to accept “literature survey” for building a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste. Genkai is going to answer within this month. If it accepts, it will be the third place to accept that survey, following two places in Hokkaido. Main reason to accept the survey is supposed to be subsidy from the national government.   Japan has no final disposal site. Among all 54 reactors in 17 nuclear power generation plant, 12 reactors of 6 plants are operating. The rest of them are not in operation, some of which are determined to be decommissioned. Used nuclear fuels are stocked in each plant, 　 or have sent to a reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori. There are two plans to stock nuclear wastes in the intermediate facility for disposal, one is already built and another is still in negotiation.   Nuclear Fuel Final Disposal Act in 2000 determines to bury nuclear waste in the underground. Literature survey, ...
Read more

Not A Royal Wedding

The bride called her husband an indispensable existence and their marriage was necessary choice to protect their mind. The groom insisted on his life as only once and his right to be with his loved one. Her father wanted his daughter’s marriage to be celebrated by the people. The people were not sure whether the family was happy as a whole. Is this the traditional Japanese social system that makes no one happy? Mako Komuro, as known as Princess Mako during her life in one of the royal family Akishino, held on Tuesday a press conference with her husband Kei Komuro, right after submitting marriage report to local government. It was something different from ordinary Q&A session, because Mako was afraid of her mental uneasiness brought by some questions not based on truth. So, the event was actually one-sided speech to the reporters. Mako emphasized that the Kei’s decision of studying abroad five years ago had not been his original idea, but a result of her request to establish an over...
Read more