Experts in international affairs, political science, foreign policy, tackle PH-US-Japan trilateral cooperation in ASOG-hosted webinar

The Ateneo School of Government, through the Ateneo Policy Center, organized an online discussion titled “Trilateral Cooperation Among Philippines, United States, and Japan: Acceptability, Implications, and Impact on Regional Security.” The webinar was held on Zoom last 27 June 2023 and was attended by over a hundred participants from the academe, military, diplomatic corps, and media.

The webinar’s discussion was grounded on the Philippines’ national interest as it engages with the United States, Japan, and other strategic partners present in the Indo-Pacific.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Philip Arnold P. Tuaño, Dean of the Ateneo School of Government, noted how interdependence and interconnectedness have become the norm, hence the increasing necessity of trilateral cooperation. He argued, “In order to actively and appropriately contribute to a wide variety of issues facing the region and the international community, it is becoming more crucial for us to strengthen trilateral cooperation and collaborate with other countries.”

The discussion featured perspectives from the United States, Japan, the ASEAN, and the Philippines on implementing a trilateral cooperative agreement.

Mr. Gregory B. Poling, Director of the Southeast Asia Program & Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, emphasized conversations on the role of alliances in contingencies. Drawing from the rising tensions between Taiwan and China, Mr. Poling stated how a modern alliance requires obligations on both sides. “A modern, more equal, more mature alliance is one in which both sides have obligations to each other and in which both sides have demands of each other. And so we should view these discussions about national interests in any [Taiwan contingency] as a sign of the maturity of an alliance,” said Mr. Poling.

Dr. Jimbo Ken, Professor at the Faculty of Policy Management at Keio University, recognized the change in the balance of power in the region amidst China’s rising power and influence. Dr. Jimbo articulated the structural challenges Japan and the region were facing, stating how China’s emerging capability makes it hard for Japan to indigenously maintain air and naval state superiority over the former. “At the same time, China is accumulating capability to deny U.S. forces to operate inside the region,” he added.

Raising issues for broader consideration, Dr. Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby, introduced several caveats to a trilateral cooperative engagement, especially as far as the ASEAN is concerned. Working in an environment with imperfect information, cheating and settling for relative gains, and the prevalence of weak powers to free-ride and bandwagon are some of the concerns aired by Dr. Willoughby. She also strongly suggested how cooperation between countries should go beyond defense and security and lobby for economic cooperation.

Dr. Alma Maria O. Salvador, Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science at the Ateneo de Manila University, offered her take on complex interdependence and brought attention to today’s changing security architecture. She pointed out, “In the midst of globalization, the use of force remains important, but it resides on the utility of other forms of security like economic, political, energy and other non-traditional sources of security. Our security leaders and decision-makers would like to anchor our actions and decisions in view of a changing security architecture.” Dr. Salvador likewise talked about a Cold War 2.0, whereby choice is no longer dichotomized as a zero-sum game, highlighting the expanding engagement from small and middle powers.

To conclude the webinar, RAdm Rommel Jude G. Ong, Professor of Praxis at the Ateneo School of Government, corroborated the importance of a trilateral cooperative agreement among the United States, the Philippines, and Japan. “Such an arrangement is in accord with our own country’s interests. As a sovereign state, we have every right to defend our territory and protect our people, their property, and their way of life in the manner that the States sees fit,” he echoed.