US, Japan, Philippines Pledge to Strengthen Trilateral Defense Capabilities

Members of the Philippine Coast Guard take part in a simulation during a trilateral maritime exercise with Japan and U.S. coast guards, 15 nautical miles off the coast of Bataan province, western Philippines, on June 6, 2023. (Jes Aznar/Getty Images)

The United States, Japan, and the Philippines have pledged to bolster their trilateral defense capabilities, including holding multilateral joint naval drills in the Indo-Pacific waters where tensions have risen.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan met with his Japanese and Philippine counterparts for the first time in Tokyo, Japan, on June 15 to discuss enhancing trilateral cooperation between their countries.

They discussed security challenges in the South China Sea and East China Sea, including North Korea’s illicit nuclear and missile programs, and reiterated the need to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait.

In a joint statement, the three officials concurred that “a free and open maritime order” is crucial in the Indo-Pacific region, “especially given unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.”

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a press briefing at the White House on April 24, 2023. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)

They agreed to advance trilateral defense cooperation based on the recent progress between the Philippines and the United States through new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites and between the Philippines and Japan in discussing reciprocal visits of military officials.

They planned to hold trilateral exchanges among their National Security Secretariats “in the coming months” to further expand cooperation and information-sharing.

Sullivan said the new trilateral framework is part of multiple alliances involving the United States in the Indo-Pacific region, including three-way cooperation with Japan and South Korea and the Quad security dialogue with Australia, India, and Japan.

“I would say different groupings may have different points of priority and emphasis, but actually, what we are finding is the agenda is expanding because in a way the world is shrinking,” he said after the meeting.

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida received a courtesy call from Philippine national security adviser Eduardo Ano on June 15, in which Kishida expressed his desire for closer cooperation with the Philippines to tackle “common geopolitical challenges.”

Defense Ministers’ Talks

The trilateral talks came after the defense ministers of the United States, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia held their first quadrilateral talks on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit on June 3.

The ministers discussed “regional issues of common interest and opportunities to expand cooperation” as they work towards a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” according to Japan’s Defense Ministry.

The move came amid China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea, which it claims almost entirely, and growing concerns over a possible escalation in Taiwan, which China views as its own and has vowed to conquer by force if necessary.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo earlier said his country would bear the brunt of any escalation of tensions in Taiwan, given its proximity with the island, which sits only 90 miles from the northernmost point of the Philippines.

Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo attends a press conference at State Department in Washington on April 11, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

“Taiwan is literally next door to the Philippines,” he said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) forum in Washington on April 10.

“Our view is that not only would it affect the Philippines, but it would affect the entire region and could escalate to even something, you know, more dangerous,” Manalo added.

The Philippines has granted American forces access to four new military bases, including a naval base, an airport in Cagayan province, and an army camp in Isabela—all located near Taiwan—under the EDCA accord.

But Beijing warned that expanded EDCA sites would “seriously endanger regional peace and stability” and “drag the Philippines into the abyss of geopolitical strife and damage its economic development.”

The Philippine Defense Department had reaffirmed its position of non-interference in the tensions between China and Taiwan, saying that its primordial concern was the safety of Filipinos living in Taiwan.

It reiterated that the Philippines’ decision to grant the United States greater access to military bases was aimed at bolstering its defense capabilities and was not directed against any country.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.