Japan, the United States and the Philippines cooperate against China

Japan, the United States and the Philippines plan to cooperate against China over control of chips.

The Nikkei Asia newspaper reported on April 4 that Japan, the United States and the Philippines plan to implement trilateral cooperation projects in various fields such as semiconductors, digital networks, clean energy and critical minerals.

On April 11, US President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a tripartite summit held for the first time, aiming to strengthen the military alliance and confront China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The White House said earlier that “the first summit between the United States, Japan, and the Philippines will not only strengthen trilateral security, economic, and technological relations, but also strengthen their cooperation in “peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region, and around the world.”

Leaders are likely to agree to deepen economic security ties, such as building more resilient supply chains for nickel, other important metals and semiconductors. Nickel is an essential material in electric car batteries.

Japan and the United States are expected to provide support to the Philippines in the commercial use of small nuclear reactors that Manila aims to use to generate power.

The three leaders are also expected to emphasize strengthening defense cooperation, including joint exercises, to counter China's increasing coercive practices. The Philippines is locked in a long-standing sovereignty dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea.

Kishida hopes to deepen defense and economic ties with the United States as well as the Philippines, to promote peace and stability in the region.