Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Manila on Wednesday (November 18) for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting.
A contingent of Filipino officials headed by Philippine public works minister Rogelio Singson welcomed Abe at Manila’s international airport.
Japan and the Philippines are set to agree this week on a deal paving way for Tokyo to supply Manila with used military equipment, possibly including aircraft that could be deployed to patrol the disputed South China Sea, sources said.
The deal will mark the first time Japan has agreed to directly donate military equipment to another country, and is the latest example of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s more muscular security agenda.
The agreement in principle on military technology may be announced after Abe and President Benigno Aquino meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Manila, said three sources in Tokyo who are familiar with the issue.
The APEC gathering on Wednesday and Thursday (November 19) comes on the heels of a G20 summit in Turkey, which was dominated by discussions about the violence emanating from Syria’s civil war.
The Philippines was on high alert as the leaders arrived, with 30,000 security troops deployed across the capital.
Police in the city of 12 million closed off many roads leading to the venues of the meeting, which will be attended by about 20 heads of state or government, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama. (Reuters)