The Philippines, the United States, and Japan may conduct a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
In a media interview, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Babe Romualdez said that the meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the leaders of Washington and Tokyo on the said trilateral meeting is being prepared.
WATCH: Pilipinas, US, Japan niluluto na ang trilateral meeting sa ASEAN Summit — Amb. Romualdez @dzrhnews https://t.co/OFEd23zVRV pic.twitter.com/YFMKFxAjoz
— Edniel Parrosa (@ednielparrosa) September 5, 2023
He stated that the situation in the South China Sea will be discussed in the said trilateral meeting, in addition to bolstering the cooperation and economic security of the three allied countries.
Romualdez said US Vice President Kamala Harris will appear for the United States, while Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has already arrived in Jakarta.
However, there is a chance that it will not continue like the first announced bilateral meeting with Vietnam due to the busy schedule, not only for Marcos but for all the representatives of the US and Japan.The good news is that, said Romuladez, the US and Japan involved themselves in the meeting with the Philippine leader.
It can be recalled that prior to the summit, the two countries along with South Korea, condemned China’s activities in the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, Marcos encouraged the Southeast Asian community to stand up against the ‘hegemonic ambitions’ in the West Philippine Sea.
In his intervention at the 43rd ASEAN Summit, the President strongly urged the other countries to unite against attempts to become dominant in the contested territory.
Marcos clarified that despite the fact that the Philippines doesn’t want trouble, he is against the intentions of two powerful countries only fighting the territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
