Japan signs pact to supply defence equipment to Philippines

Japan and the Philippines have separately expressed alarm over Beijing’s increasingly assertive behaviour in disputed waters.

Japan has signed an agreement to supply defence equipment and technology to the Philippines, the first such Japanese defence pact in a region where the U.S. allies have been alarmed by China’s aggressive advances in disputed territories.

Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the agreement he signed with Japanese Ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa in Manila on Monday underpins the Asian nations’ “mutual desire to enhance our respective defence capabilities” and “to contribute to regional peace and stability.”

Mr. Gazmin says the accord serves as a framework for the transfer of defence equipment and technology, with the details being settled in future talks. Japan is initially offering a surveillance aircraft, he said without elaborating.

Japan and the Philippines have separately expressed alarm over Beijing’s increasingly assertive behaviour in disputed waters.

(Source : thehindu.com)

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