Japan and the Philippines have signed a landmark defence agreement to deepen military co-operation and enhance their regional deterrence against China.
The reciprocal access agreement allows their armed forces to train and conduct exercises in each other’s countries at a time of rising concern about China’s activity around Taiwan and in the South China Sea.
It follows warnings from senior Philippine officials that escalating tensions with Beijing over the Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed reef, could trigger a war. The two-way agreement signed on Monday comes after the US hosted a historic trilateral summit with Japan and the Philippines, its two closest Asian allies, in April.
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