BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR, VICTOR REYES and ASHZEL HACHERO
THE Philippines and Japan yesterday signed an agreement that will allow Japanese forces to come into the country to conduct military and disaster response training with Philippine forces, and vice versa.
The Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) was signed by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko in Malacañang in the presence of President Marcos Jr., Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, and Japanese Defense Minister Kihara Minoru.
The two Japanese officials paid a courtesy call on the President, during which the RAA was signed.
Manila and Tokyo have been negotiating on the RAA since last year amid China’s increasingly assertive stance in the region, and its intensified bullying and harassment of Philippine ships in the disputed West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea.
The RAA, the first of its kind Japan has signed in Asia, will smooth military cooperation between Manila and Tokyo by easing the entry of equipment and troops for combat training and disaster response.
“The RAA brings our defense partnership to an unprecedented height,” Manalo told a joint briefing after a “2-plus-2” meeting of both nations’ foreign and defense ministers.
“The ministers expressed serious concern over the dangerous and escalatory actions by China at Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal,” they said in a joint statement after the meeting.
China’s actions obstructed freedom of navigation and disrupted supply lines, leading to an increase in tension, they added.
The Japanese foreign minister reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to work closely with the Philippines.
“To maintain and strengthen the free and open international order based on the rule of law, we would like to strengthen our partnership under your excellency’s leadership,” she said.
Teodoro said the RAA, which will take effect after being ratified by both countries’ parliaments, will be factor in maintaining an “open, inclusive and rules-based international order based on international law.”
“We have signed an instrument of trust today and what remains in the future is the greater work of building confidence between and amongst our armed forces on both a bilateral basis and on a multilateral basis with allied nations and treaty partners,” he said.
Teodoro expressed optimism the partnership will help in maintaining “stability and lasting peace in the Indo-Pacific region.”
MILITARY BLOCS
China claims much of the South China Sea, a conduit for the bulk of northeast Asia’s trade with the rest of the world in which Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.
Japan, which announced last year its biggest military build-up since World War Two in a step away from post-war pacifism, does not have any claims to the busy waterway.
But it has a separate maritime dispute with China in the East China Sea, where the neighbors have repeatedly faced off.
It has supported the Philippines’ position in the South China Sea and has expressed concern over China’s aggressive actions.
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said the Asia-Pacific region does not need military blocs, still less does it need to provoke confrontation between different camps or small circles that encourage a new Cold War.
“During World War II, Japan was responsible for invasion and colonial rule of Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines,” Lin told reporters in a briefing in Beijing. “Japan should seriously reflect on its history of aggression and be cautious in words and deeds in the field of military security.”
Lin also said the RAA should not harm its interests or target any third party in the region.
“The exchange and cooperation between countries should not undermine the mutual understanding and trust between other countries in the region. It should not threaten regional peace and stability, target any third party, or harm the interests of any third party,” Lin said.
The Philippines has a Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States and Australia. Tokyo, which hosts the biggest concentration of US forces abroad, has similar RAA deals with Australia and Britain, and is negotiating another with France.
UPGRADED TIES
Teodoro Jr said Philippines and Japan have “upgraded” their defense partnership with the signing of the RAA.
In his opening remarks during a meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Minoru Kihara, at the Shangri-la The Fort in Taguig City, Teodoro said, “We look forward to putting into flesh, so the speak, the steps forward now that we have upgraded our partnership one level higher by the signing of the Reciprocal Access Agreement.”
“This is another milestone in our shared endeavor to ensure a rules-based international order to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and particularly in our region,” he added.
Teodoro quoted the President as saying the relations between Philippines and Japan are “very strong” in traditional fields such as economy and trade.
“But this year, we add another dimension to our already strong bilateral relations by adding the vital aspect of security which creates a holistic dimension or adds a holistic dimension to our bilateral relations,” he said referring to the RAA signing.
Teodoro said the RAA adds to the multilateral efforts of the two nations to make sure the region respects of international law.
“We work hand in hand in creating a global architecture which will ensure sustainable peace and stability, particularly in our area,” said Teodoro.
With the signing of the RAA and other agreements, Teodoro said he is looking forward to “more confidence building measures” between the Japanese Self-Defense Force and the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the two defense departments “so that our shared vision and goals can be realized.”
Kihara, in his remarks, said the RAA represents the “deepening cooperative relationship between our two nations.”
Kihara said Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations are located in a “very strategically important region” that is a “key junction of Japan’s sea lanes.”
“Advancing defense cooperation and exchanges with the Philippines is important for Japan,” said Kihara.
President Marcos, during the courtesy call of the Japanese officials, said, “I’m glad that having witnessed the commencement, the beginnings of this agreement, that it has now come to fruition and that we are ready now to sign the reciprocal agreement.”
“Your presence here increases our confidence and the importance that the Japanese government puts on these extremely important agreements that we have. And I’m very glad that we have come to this day,” he added.
MDT WITH JAPAN?
Manalo expressed openness to Manila having a Mutual Defense Treaty with Tokyo similar to that with Washington.
The PH-US MDT signed in 1951 commits both countries to come to each other’s aid in case of invasion or armed attack.
Manalo was asked about the matter in a briefing after the Philippines-Japan Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting he attended along with Teodoro and their Japanese counterparts after the RAA signing.
“I think that will all depend on how circumstances develop,” Manalo said, as he extolled the merits of the RAA.
“And I think whether we need to expand it to cover other areas or not really depends on how the situation develops and also what areas we wish to proceed,” he added,
Manalo also said the enhanced relationship between Manila and Tokyo showed the two countries share the same goals of ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, promoting regional economic growth, and addressing the increasing and complex challenges in the region and beyond.
“Amidst the backdrop of the geopolitical situation in this and other regions, which has put the stability and predictability of the rules-based international order under stress, we discussed global and regional issues of common concern,” he said.
He expressed gratitude to Tokyo saying it has stood by Manila regarding the West Philippine Sea issue, “especially in promoting rules-based order” under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as well as the 2016 Arbitral Award.
Japan has been one of the Philippines’ staunchest allies as it increasingly faced an aggressive China, especially in the maritime territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
2+2 MEETING
In a joint press statement, they said the 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministers Meeting strengthens the decades-old strategic partnership of the Philippines and Japan as they tackled the current bilateral security environment and exchanged views on regional issues including the situation in the East China Sea, South China Sea, Taiwan, and the Korean Peninsula.
“The Ministers emphasized the need for the international community to speak out on the importance of maintaining and strengthening the free and open international order based on the rule of law. The Ministers strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the peacefully established status quo by force or coercion,” the press statement said.
They also underscored their “unwavering commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight consistent with UNCLOS and expressed serious concern over the dangerous and escalatory actions by China at Second Thomas Shoal, which obstructed freedom of navigation and disrupted supply lines, thus increasing tensions.”
To recall, Chinese coast guard and maritime militia vessels have repeatedly harassed and blocked Philippine resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal. On June 17, Chinese coast guard personnel again blocked a Philippine resupply mission to the shoal, injuring a Filipino sailor while damaging two rigid-hull inflatable boats.
The ministers said the Philippines and Japan decided to continue coordination in promoting the adherence to international law, in particular UNCLOS, and through various related initiatives, and called on China to abide by the final and legally-binding 2016 arbitral award on the South China Sea which junked Beijing’s massive claim in the disputed waters.
They also reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and called for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.
ECONOMIC TIES
Aside from the increased defense ties, the ministers also reaffirmed their leaders’ commitment to strengthening cooperation in the promotion of economic security and to coordinate in addressing economic coercion.
They also decided to further promote cooperation on cybersecurity and open, interoperable, secure, reliable, and trusted telecommunications networks including Open Radio Access Network.
Manila also recognized Tokyo’s role and significant contribution to the Mindanao peace process.
They also affirmed the importance of strengthening trilateral cooperation with the United States, which aims to complement existing multilateral mechanisms as well as expanding strategic cooperation among Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States “of a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific through the conduct of the Maritime Cooperative Activity among the four armed/defense forces.”
RATIFICATION
Senate President Francis Escudero said the RAA will strengthen the country’s military capabilities.
“Anything that strengthens and increases our military capability is a deterrence to a possible conflagration,” he said.
He also said the Senate will scrutinize the RAA just “like other treaties that the Senate is asked to ratify by the Executive.”
Escudero said he does not believe that the RAA with Japan will further agitate China.
“Regardless of whether it ‘agitates’ another country, I believe we should pursue it if it is in our national interest and I believe that it is,” he added.
Senate president pro tempore Jinggoy Estrada said the RAA demonstrates the mutual commitment of Japan and the Philippines “to uphold a rules-based international order, particularly in response to regional security threats.”
Estrada also said that as chairman of the Committee on National Defense and Security, he will make sure that the RAA’s ratification “will be among the priority agenda of the Senate when Congress resumes sessions on July 22.
Sen. Imee Marcos said having stronger ties with regional neighbors is most welcome.
“However, as with other treaties, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (which she chairs) will scrutinize every line and every word of that treaty once the same is referred to us to make sure that it is aligned with the national interest of the country,” she said.
Sen. Grace Poe said it is important that the Philippines cooperate with like-minded nations which uphold mutual interests.
Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III said the Philippines should be entering more agreements of an economic in nature which would allow the country to sell local products to other countries.
“Sana ganyan ang laman ng mga agreements natin. Produkto, hindi pulbura (I hope our agreements are like that. Products, not gunpowder),” he said. — With Raymond Africa and Reuters
