President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Bagong Pilipinas Town Hall Meeting on Traffic Concerns at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City on Wednesday (April 10, 2024) (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the upcoming trilateral summit between the Philippines, United States (US), and Japan will include discussions on cooperation in the South China Sea.
In an interview, Marcos said details of the “agreement” between the three countries would be ironed out during his meeting with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“This is essentially an agreement between the United States, Japan, and the Philippines on cooperation in terms of maintaining security and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. That is the essence of it,” Marcos told reporters.
“But of course, it will contain more details in the sense of how that intercooperation will be implemented. So that is what we’re going to discuss,” he added.
Marcos is set to fly to the US on Wednesday afternoon for the historic summit.
The President is also expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Biden on the sidelines of the trilateral summit to discuss the progress of the Philippines and US’ ties and cooperation.
On Sunday, the three countries, along with Australia, conducted a quad naval exercise in the West Philippine Sea, part of the vast South China Sea that China claims entirely.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has ruled against China’s sweeping historical claims to the waterway. Beijing has refused to acknowledge the ruling. (PNA)
