US, Japan infra coordination in PHL expected out of Washington summit

THE WASHINGTON, DC summit bringing together the leaders of the US, Japan and the Philippines is expected to result in more coordinated infrastructure investment in the Philippines by the two other partners, the US National Security Council (NSC) said.

“What I can say is there will be some particularly important announcements related to infrastructure in particular whereby the US and Japan will agree to cooperate on their investments in the Philippines,” Mira RappHooper, senior director for East Asia and Oceania at the NSC, said at a briefing on Wednesday.

“We do believe that together and working closely with the Government of the Philippines we will be able to deliver for the Filipino people by helping to work together on high-quality, highstandards infrastructure that makes a difference in the lives of everyday people.”

US President Joseph R. Biden is set to host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. at the White House on April 11 to discuss economic ties and Indo-Pacific security.

Last month in Tokyo, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Maria Theresa P. Lazaro met with Japanese Foreign Affairs Senior Deputy Minister Funakoshi Takehiro and US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell on the advance work for the summit, discussing potential cooperation in critical minerals and cybersecurity.

Ms. Rapp-Hooper said the summit will also tackle energy security, digital connectivity and maritime security.

A US Trade and Investment Mission last month committed to invest over $1 billion in the Philippines, including a deal involving the construction of a $400-million (P22.16 billion) hydrogen and electric refueling station in the Philippines.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has reported that the Philippines received P109 billion in official development assistance (ODA) from Japan between April 2021 and March 2022, the biggest such Japanese commitment in Southeast Asia.

Last month, the Philippines and JICA signed loan deals worth 250 billion yen (P93 billion) for the construction of the Metro Manila Subway and the Dalton Pass East Alignment, which will link San Jose City in Nueva Ecija to Aritao in Nueva Vizcaya, both in the northern Philippines.

The leaders will meet amid heightened tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea.

China has repeatedly sought to obstruct resupply missions to a Philippine outpost in the latter’s exclusive economic zone.