Japan has taken another step to bolster its network of security partners by launching negotiations with the Philippines on a visiting forces agreement and making the Southeast Asian country the first recipient of its new military aid program.
¡°Under the increasingly severe and complex international situation, we are deepening cooperation in the area of security,¡± Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday during a joint news conference in Manila alongside Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The move by the two ¡°semi-allies¡± comes amid growing concerns by both over China¡¯s territorial ambitions.
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