Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Maria Theresa Lazaro during the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings. The discussion focused on enhancing trilateral cooperation to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
The officials agreed to coordinate efforts on maritime security, which includes Maritime Cooperative Activities, trilateral military exercises, and capacity building for the Philippine Coast Guard and other maritime authorities in the Philippines.
Additionally, they emphasized the importance of strengthening economic partnerships alongside security ties. This involves encouraging private sector investment in infrastructure projects within the Luzon Economic Corridor. Secretary Rubio highlighted the Philippines' abundance of critical minerals and stressed diversifying supply chains for these resources.
The meeting also addressed advancing cooperation in cyber security, energy—including civil nuclear energy—and investments in secure telecommunications networks. They concluded by agreeing to hold further discussions at the senior officials’ level in upcoming months to pursue their shared goals for regional peace and security.
