PBBM highlighted the importance of the historic trilateral cooperation of the Philippines, the U.S., and Japan in April 2024, held at the White House. | Photo by Presidential Communications Office
MANILA, Philippines – Following the Joint Vision Statement from the Leaders of Japan, the Philippines, and the United States” issued at their first trilateral Summit last April, senior government officials from the three countries convened an informal trilateral discussion in Manila on October 25 regarding countering economic coercion and promoting economic resilience.
Ma. Corazon Halili-Dichosa, Executive Director for Industry Development Services at the Board of Investments of the Philippines, chaired the meeting. Jonathan Fritz, Chief of Staff to Jose W. Fernandez, the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment at the U.S. Department of State, and the Japanese delegation led by Mochizuki Chihiro, Director for Economic Security Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan represented their respective countries.
During that April summit, the statement said, “In all sincerity, we believe that working together may significantly improve the safety and prosperity of our nation, the Indo-Pacific region, and the entire international community.”
The statement further said that the three countries support the “continued progress of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) to advance resilience, sustainability, inclusiveness, economic growth, fairness, and competitiveness forl our economies and the broader region.”
The three countries committed to deepening their trilateral cooperation in promoting inclusive economic growth and economic resilience, Announcing the Luzon Corridor, Developing Critical and Emerging Technologies, Advancing Climate Partnership and Clean Energy Supply Chains, and Partnering for Peace and Security.
The statement also mentioned that President Ferdinance R. Marcos, Jr. acknowledged the Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to the Philippines and the “announcement of more than $1 billion in U.S. private sector investments that help promote the Philippines’ innovation economy, clean energy transition, and supply chain resilience, as well as the continued U.S. commitment to mobilizing private sector investment in the Philippines.”
In addition, Marcos appreciated “Japan’s contribution of Official Development Assistance and private sector investment in its 2022-2023 fiscal year, which exceeded the pledge of JPY 600 billion made in the 2023 Japan-Philippines Joint Statement.
The three countries committed to “facilitating the steady implementation of ongoing and futue economic cooperation projects toward the Philippines’ attainment of upper middle income country status and beyond.”
Matthew Miller, spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State, said the meeting on October 25 was intended to strengthen close coordination to address economic coercion and build economic resilience based on “the Joint Vision Statement from the Leaders of Japan, the Philippines, and the United States” issued at the first Japan-U.S.-Philippines Summit this April.
He also said the participants shared their concern over strong opposition to economic coercion and a commitment to building economic resilience. They affirmed that the three countries intend to cooperate to raise awareness of this issue among the international community and enhance their resilience to and response capabilities to potential economic coercion.
–With Ricky Rillera/PDM
