Tokyo, [Japan], July 11 (ANI): In a rebuke of Beijing’s more and more aggressive maritime posture, the international ministers of Japan, the United States, and the Philippines reaffirmed their dedication to freedom of navigation throughout a trilateral assembly on July 10.
The gathering, held on the sidelines of ASEAN-related conferences in Kuala Lumpur, marks the primary such high-level ministerial dialogue since US President Donald Trump returned to workplace in January, The Straits Times reported.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Maria Theresa Lazaro voiced agency opposition to any unilateral makes an attempt to vary the established order ‘by drive or coercion,’ a pointed message directed at China’s belligerent actions within the East and South China seas.
According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, the ministers emphasised strengthening trilateral cooperation to discourage additional Chinese aggression within the area.
The backdrop to this renewed alliance is China’s long-standing sample of unlawful and provocative actions within the South China Sea, the place it has militarised synthetic islands, harassed international vessels, and ignored worldwide rulings towards its territorial claims.
The Philippines, particularly, has confronted repeated incursions by Chinese vessels into its unique financial zone. At the identical time, Japan has been compelled to answer Chinese ships encroaching close to the Senkaku Islands within the East China Sea.
As The Straits Times reported, the trilateral additionally highlighted latest progress in maritime cooperation, together with joint coast guard workouts held in June off Japan’s Kagoshima Prefecture, a sign of rising preparedness to counter Chinese maritime assertiveness.
In reaffirming their shared dedication to regional stability, the three allies despatched a transparent message: Beijing’s coercive techniques won’t go unchallenged. The coordinated stand displays a broader effort by like-minded democracies to push again towards China’s makes an attempt to rewrite the foundations of maritime conduct within the Indo-Pacific, The Straits Times concluded. (ANI)