Japan refutes ‘new militarism’, accuses China of rapidly arming

MARITIME DISPUTES

In a meeting with his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro, the two countries confirmed that Japan would aim to transfer Abukuma-class destroyers and TC-90 aircraft to the Southeast Asian nation during Japan’s fiscal year 2027, a Philippine statement said.

Manila has been eyeing the Abukuma-class vessels – which are being retired by Japan – for some time, with the military sending a contingent to examine them in 2025, AFP reported.

The countries have been deepening defence ties in the shadow of China’s naval ambitions, announcing that they will discuss intelligence-sharing and open maritime border talks condemned by Beijing as an “illegal” violation of its expansive territorial claims.

Teodoro singled out Beijing’s activities in the South China Sea for criticism, saying Manila “will not sacrifice our territorial integrity and sovereignty because our constitution does not allow us”.

“To do so would be to subvert the popular, democratic and free mandate that the people gave our political leaders, unlike some autocratic systems where the mandate comes from above, dictated down.”

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

As Teodoro spoke, China’s People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command issued a statement online saying it had “conducted combat readiness patrols” in the waters and airspace around Scarborough Shoal, the site of a years-long territorial dispute with the Philippines.

The patrols “serve as an effective countermeasure to cope with all sorts of rights-violation and provocative acts” around the shoal, “an inherent part of China’s territory”, the statement said.