Manila
Following the strong opposition from China over the recently held trilateral summit between Japan, US and the Philippines, Manila warned China for the excessive maritime claims and aggressive behavior, including its militarization of reclaimed features that are undermining regional peace and stability in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippines Foreign Ministry said in an official statement on Thursday said that participating in the summit was its ‘sovereign choice’ and was aimed at strengthening and promoting peace, stability and economic prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
It is the sovereign choice and decision of the Philippines to strengthen its alliance with the United States and strategic partnership with Japan, in accordance with our national interests and in line with our independent foreign policy. Our actions are in line with international law and complement our commitments in other regional and multilateral forums, the Philippines Foreign Ministry said in an official statement on Thursday.
Trilateral cooperation is a partnership and a cooperative framework for the promotion of peace, stability and economic prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, the statement said.
The statement underscored that the summit, which was held on April 11, provided all three nations the opportunity to build upon their robust bilateral relations, expand their economic cooperation and support for Philippine development goals.
