Manila: President Benigno Aquino III is slated to visit Japan on Tuesday and meet with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss deepening ties and forge further partnerships in the regional and local level.
According to Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Charles Jose, the meeting between the two leaders “is an opportunity for them to exchange views on several issues to develop stronger ties between their countries.”
“These areas of cooperation include humanitarian assistance and disaster response, maritime cooperation, promotion of trade and investments, people-to-people exchanges and the Mindanao peace process,” Jose said.
The one-day meeting between the two leaders comes at a time when their countries are embroiled in concerns involving China.
China, in recent months had been perceived to be moving to secure several islands in Southeast Asia and North Asia in an apparent effort to extend its territorial reach by establishing outposts in these areas. These movements had been a source of tension in the region between the Beijing-based government and countries such as the Philippines, Japan and Vietnam.
Abigail Valte, deputy presidential spokesperson, said in Aquino would likely take up the issue in his discussions with Abe.
Jose for his part, said: “Japan is one of our only two strategic partners. And in terms of economic cooperation, Japan is our number one trading partner, largest source of ODA [official development assistance], third largest source of approved investments, and third largest source of tourists.”
Mindanao Peace
Aside from meeting Abe, part of Aquino’s agenda in Japan was to deliver the keynote address at the 6th edition of the Consolidation for Peace for Mindanao Conference which will be held in Hiroshima and was organised by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Research and Education for Peace of the University Sains Malaysia.
According to Jose, Aquino’s presence in the Hiroshima event is crucial because it serves as a follow-up to government actions on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which aims to achieve lasting peace in Mindanao.
Aquino’s presence in Hiroshima had been regarded as an important opportunity for the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leaders and other stakeholders to discuss challenges in the search for peace in Mindanao.
The government last March had signed a peace agreement with the MILF, ending more than two decades of hostilities.
Japan, which has a number of companies in Mindanao, had played a key role in the peace process in Southern Philippines for a number of years.
