Japan ready to help PH attain upper middle-income goal

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru said on Tuesday, April 29, that Japan is ready to help the Philippines achieve an upper-middle-income status through a range of cooperation agreements that will cover telecommunications, energy, and infrastructure, among others.

- By RAYMUND ANTONIO

President Marcos and Ishiba held a bilateral meeting at Malacañan Palace to chart the future of the two countries’ relations and tackle significant common interests, such as economic cooperation, people-to-people ties, and defense and security relationships.

"I conveyed to President Marcos that Japan will cooperate with the Philippines making use of uniquely Japanese strengths for your country to aim for the upper middle income status that His Excellency is looking for," he said during their joint press conference after the bilateral talks. "I explained that we will work with the Philippines in a package of cooperation deals covering telecommunications, AZEC (Asian Zero Emission Community), energy, mineral resources, infrastructure and disaster risk reduction, and others.

The President and I agreed to further strengthen our partnership in these areas." Ishiba, who visited the country on the invitation of President Marcos, as in the Philippines from April 29 to 30.

Marcos and Ishiba met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits in Lao People's Democratic Republic in October last year and again through a video conference with the United States in January this year.

The Prime Minister's remarks came just as the Philippines hosted the High-Level Ministerial Conference of Middle-Income Countries at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City from April 28 to 29.

The ministers and high-level representatives of some 19 countries adopted the Makati Declaration on Middle-Income Countries, which will serve as a roadmap for memberstates to address present challenges to their continuous growth, lack of access to funding opportunities, and impact of climate change.

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