US, Japan oppose China's South China Sea claims

United States President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru expressed serious opposition to China's maritime claims and activities in the South China Sea during a bilateral summit in Washington D.C. on February 7.

The leaders condemned Beijing's militarization of reclaimed features in the sea lane and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Both nations emphasized their cooperation with like-minded countries, including the Philippines, to promote high-quality infrastructure investments such as Open Radio Access Networks (RAN) in third countries.

The Philippine government has criticized China's increased military presence in its maritime zones of the South China Sea, known as the West Philippine Sea.

Japan and the US have pledged $8 million for RAN field trials to ensure a secure information and communications technology ecosystem in the region.

This month, Japan will officially sign diplomatic notes for non-project grant aid to establish an Open RAN System at the University of the Philippines.