The US and the Philippines are in talks about holding a “2-plus-2 meeting” of top diplomatic and defence officials as early as March, Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said yesterday.
Romualdez in a text message confirmed a Nikkei report citing sources on the discussions about holding the first such talks in seven years, and said the agenda would include issues such as Taiwan and tensions in the South China Sea.
The Philippines is a defence ally of the US, but under former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, it avoided criticising Beijing as it tried to attract Chinese investment.
Photo: AP
Since Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr took office last year, several top US officials, including US Vice President Kamala Harris, have visited the Philippines to shore up ties and discourage aggressive steps by China in the South China Sea and against Taiwan.
The Philippines and the US have a long-standing Mutual Defense Treaty and take part in joint training exercises each year, ranging from live fire and amphibious assaults to humanitarian missions and counter-terrorism drills.
Asked about the proposed meeting, a US Department of State spokesperson said there was nothing to announce, but noted that the “alliance between the Philippines and the United States has contributed to peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region for more than 75 years.”
Young women standing idly around a park in Tokyo’s west suggest that a giant statue of Godzilla is not the only attraction for a record number of foreign tourists. Their faces lit by the cold glow of their phones, the women lining Okubo Park are evidence that sex tourism has developed as a dark flipside to the bustling Kabukicho nightlife district. Increasing numbers of foreign men are flocking to the area after seeing videos on social media. One of the women said that the area near Kabukicho, where Godzilla rumbles and belches smoke atop a cinema, has become a “real
Two Belgian teenagers on Tuesday were charged with wildlife piracy after they were found with thousands of ants packed in test tubes in what Kenyan authorities said was part of a trend in trafficking smaller and lesser-known species. Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, two 19-year-olds who were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house, appeared distraught during their appearance before a magistrate in Nairobi and were comforted in the courtroom by relatives. They told the magistrate that they were collecting the ants for fun and did not know that it was illegal. In a separate criminal case, Kenyan Dennis
Incumbent Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa on Sunday claimed a runaway victory in the nation’s presidential election, after voters endorsed the young leader’s “iron fist” approach to rampant cartel violence. With more than 90 percent of the votes counted, the National Election Council said Noboa had an unassailable 12-point lead over his leftist rival Luisa Gonzalez. Official results showed Noboa with 56 percent of the vote, against Gonzalez’s 44 percent — a far bigger winning margin than expected after a virtual tie in the first round. Speaking to jubilant supporters in his hometown of Olon, the 37-year-old president claimed a “historic victory.” “A huge hug
A judge in Bangladesh issued an arrest warrant for the British member of parliament and former British economic secretary to the treasury Tulip Siddiq, who is a niece of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in August last year in a mass uprising that ended her 15-year rule. The Bangladeshi Anti-Corruption Commission has been investigating allegations against Siddiq that she and her family members, including Hasina, illegally received land in a state-owned township project near Dhaka, the capital. Senior Special Judge of Dhaka Metropolitan Zakir Hossain passed the order on Sunday, after considering charges in three separate cases filed
RSS