The Philippines is keen on further strengthening its bilateral defense relations with both Japan and Australia.
Department of National Defense Officer-in-Charge, Senior Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr. met with Japan’s Defense Minister Yasukasu Hamada and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles last week on the sidelines of his official visit to Hawaii, to attend the meeting organized by the US Indo-Pacific Command.
DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said Wednesday that the discussions between Faustino and Hamada revolved around the current security developments in the region, particularly the situations in the South and East China Seas.
They also tackled various topics on boosting the Philippines-Japan bilateral defense cooperation through possible conduct of maritime cooperative activities, technology transfers, and dialogues at all levels, in order to address shared security challenges and advance cooperation.