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TOKYO (AP) – President Rodrigo Duterte and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga agreed on Monday to cooperate closely on issues related to the South China Sea, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said, as Beijing continues its military concentration on the South China Sea. waters despite the concerns of neighboring countries.
During their 20-minute phone conversation, Suga expressed his enthusiasm for further developing the Japan-Philippines strategic partnership and working together to achieve a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” the ministry said.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which more than a third of world trade passes. Its fortification of artificial islands with military assets, including runways and anti-ship missiles, has drawn harsh criticism from other claimants, including the Philippines and Vietnam.
Suga also expressed support for Duterte’s efforts to stimulate economic growth through infrastructure projects, and the two affirmed cooperation to address the coronavirus pandemic, the ministry said.
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