The Philippine government is hopeful the upcoming trilateral summit with the United States and Japan will lead to safer and more open navigation in the South China Sea, Department of Foreign Affairs Acting Deputy Undersecretary Hans Mohaimin Siriban said.

Siriban made the remark yesterday during a pre-departure briefing in Malacañang prior to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s departure for Washington, DC, for the Trilateral Leaders Summit on 11-12 April with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.

“Our hope is that this trilateral cooperation will help capacitate the Philippines in terms of more training in maritime security, capacity-building, not just training of personnel but possibly of more cooperation on equipment,” Siriban said.

He said the Philippines envisions “an integrated package, integrated suite of projects that will help enhance our capability to be interoperable with our partners, with our allies.”

This, Siriban said, will promote “a more conducive environment to allow our people to travel and conduct their livelihoods in our seas.”

The official clarified that the summit is not intended to form a new “Big 3” alliance in the region.

“This trilateral cooperation should be seen as complementing existing mechanisms in the region to help promote greater peace and prosperity for all of us,” Siriban said.

Economic cooperation

He said the trilateral summit will focus on economic cooperation without necessarily “poking the bear.”

“This trilateral cooperation is not directed at any country. It is really a deepening of existing strong bilateral alliances that we have and, of course, if you look at the areas of discussion, the primary focus is on economic cooperation, building on economic resilience,” he said.

“We are looking at an expanded platform where we can look at synergies where our three countries can cooperate in enhancing the economic resilience of the Philippines, especially in the areas of strategic and critical infrastructure,” he added.

Siriban noted the trilateral summit represents a significant step in the deepening of Philippine relations with both the United States and Japan.

“Every meeting... they follow up, they build on earlier meetings. This is very significant. It shows the deepening of the bilateral partnerships that we’ve had,” he said.

The summit will signify the commitment of the Philippines, US, and Japan to the rules-based international order in the South China Sea.

“We appreciate the support that Japan and the US and many other countries have shown for our position,” Siriban said. He reiterated the Philippines’ stance of resolving disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.

US-Phl bilateral, trade talks on table

Siriban said Marcos will also have a bilateral meeting with President Biden to discuss economic cooperation and security concerns. He is also expected to meet with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and engage with business leaders during his visit.

While details of agreements are still under wraps, a joint vision statement is expected to be issued following the summit.