Our future stands strong with the trilateral agreement

The upcoming trilateral meeting between the United States, Japan and the Philippines at the White House is perhaps one of the most consequential and significant official trips ever – perhaps even the most important engagement of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. – mainly because it will not only strengthen our relationship with the US and Japan, but will advance economic growth and boost efforts to promote peace and security not only in the Indo-Pacific region but all around the world. It will also most definitely help define the future of peace and security in our region.

The April 11 meeting no doubt will be historic because this is the first summit with the leaders of the three nations coming together to discuss how they can collaborate on common challenges that we are now experiencing due to both traditional and non-traditional security threats.

The mere fact that the trilateral meeting is happening at all is already momentous in itself, considering that it’s not an easy task to bring together leaders at this time when the situation in our region is relatively volatile, with many issues continuing to emerge.

During a virtual press briefing from our embassy in Washington, D.C. last Wednesday, I told members of the international media that one of the main points of discussion during the summit would be the economic aspect, especially in ensuring supply chain resilience particularly in the semiconductor industry, critical infrastructure development, digital transformation and investing in clean energy.

All these issues are important not only for the Philippines but all countries as well. It goes without saying that strengthening economic cooperation between nations can go a long way in achieving economic security, which is critical in countering any kind of potential economic coercion.

The semiconductor industry in particular is very essential for security, and we’re very pleased that the Philippines is one of the seven countries that the United States has chosen to partner with to diversify the semiconductor supply chain under the CHIPS (Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors) Act. As noted by US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, US companies have come to realize that their chip supply chain is “way too concentrated in a few countries in the world” – and so we are expecting to have a large amount of investments coming in, not only from the United States but also from other investments that are being moved out from China and now spreading into the ASEAN region.

As President Marcos himself said, prospective agreements that will come out during the summit are “building blocks” that will benefit not only the Philippines but other countries in the region.

Just like the US, Japan is one of the top trade partners of the Philippines, and it has been very supportive of infrastructure projects under the administration’s “Build, Better, More” program, such as the Metro Manila Subway Project, North-South Commuter Railway Project and the Davao Bypass Construction Project, among others.

The Philippines was also the first beneficiary of Japan’s Official Security Assistance (OSA) which is a new military cooperation framework that allows Japan to provide defense equipment, such as the coastal radar systems, to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to strengthen the Philippine Navy’s coastal surveillance and maritime domain awareness capabilities, which could boost efforts to maintain and enhance maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region. Last year, the two nations started negotiating a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) that is expected to enhance maritime cooperation and pave the way for mutual visits between Japanese and Philippine forces, and we’re expecting negotiations to be concluded within the year.

The US, on the other hand, is looking to revive its dormant shipyards for the production of military and commercial vessels with the help of Japan. Last month, US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro met with top Japanese shipbuilding industry executives, which is in line with a strategic thrust to “integrate” Japan into the defense industrial base of the United States. Japan and the US will most likely discuss ways for both nations to jointly develop and co-manufacture military and defense equipment.

The trilateral meeting is only the beginning of more extensive cooperation and stronger alliances among the US, Japan and the Philippines as they look for ways and means to promote peace and security in the region. A lot of effort is being made towards this end, most especially by President Marcos, who has been indefatigable in reaching out to many countries including members of ASEAN who have overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

People must understand that clearly, the trilateral summit organized by the United States is not directed at or against any country, but aimed precisely at strengthening the relations between our three countries not only in terms of defense and security but in the economic aspect – as these elements are very important in shaping the future for the Philippines, not to mention deterring any potential problems down the line.

One of our main objectives is to protect our environment; secondly, to uphold freedom of navigation and thirdly, to deter any kind of aggression that may take place. What we espouse is simply for countries to follow the international rule of law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral ruling. That is our stand – and it will continue to be our stand.

As I pointed out during the virtual briefing, we will continue to use everything that we can within our diplomatic arsenal to demonstrate that we are not looking for any conflict but rather, clearly looking for solutions – because certainly, we are not the problem.

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