Saturday, June 6, 2015

Manila, Tokyo to start talks on ‘new visiting forces agreement’

The Philippines and Japan are to start talks on allowing Japanese military aircraft and naval vessels to use bases in the Philippines for refueling and picking up supplies, enabling them to extend their patrol range deep into the South China Sea, Philippine President Benigno Aquino said.

"We will be starting discussion on this," Aquino said at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday during a state visit.

Japan is considering joint air patrols with the US in the South China Sea, sources told Reuters in April.

A Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) would clear the way for the Japanese military to use Philippines' bases on a rotational basis, similar to the way the US does now. An ­ability to refuel close to the South China Sea would allow Japan's Self Defense Forces to keep their aircraft on patrol longer and cover a greater distance.

Aquino and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday discussed the VFA and agreed to open up negotiations, a source with knowledge of the meeting told Reuters.

Aquino's trip comes as the two countries deepen their security ties. Unable to match the scale of the Chinese fleet, Manila is looking for allies in its territorial spat with China. Tokyo is concerned about China's efforts to exercise sovereignty over the South China Sea.

On Thursday, China hoped the US will take real actions to "lower the temperature" and reduce the tensions, the Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai said in an interview with CNN.

He was referring to the US calls for a halt to China's ­reclamation activities in the region, while threatening to continue sending military ships and planes to sail near or fly over the islands and reefs where China is building facilities.

Cui rejected the US claim that China is changing the status quo in the South China Sea, citing similar reclamation activities already done by other claimants a long time before.

  Source:Agencies - globaltimes.cn
6/6/15
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