Japan and Philippines to discuss two defence pacts

‘We oppose any attempt to unilaterally change the status Quo through force or coercion In the East and South China Seas,’ Ishiba says In Manila

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Ishiba and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr also discussed in Manila the impact of the barrage of tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump and China's countermeasures on the global economy and free trade system, the Japanese premier said in a news conference with Marcos after their talks.

Ishiba said without elaborating that he would carry out consultations in the Philippines, where major Japanese companies have a presence, to "work toward a better solution."

He flew to the Philippines after a visit to Vietnam, another Southeast Asian nation, which has had increasingly hostile confrontations with China's coast guard, naval and suspected militia forces in recent years.

China didn't immediately comment on Ishiba's remarks. Beijing claims virtually the entire waterway, where it has bolstered its coast guard and naval presence and built artificial island bases to fortify its claims.

Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the long-simmering territorial standoffs.