Balancing between Japan and China

President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines made his first visit to Japan and had a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a friendly manner over the issues between two nations. Seeking their own interests, the both leaders reconfirmed the policy to enhance their bilateral cooperation over the issues in East Asia. They did not referred to China in detail and United States was dropped in their conversation.

Abe and Duterte delivered a joint statement after the meeting in Tokyo Wednesday night. On the dispute over territory in South China Sea, two leaders stressed necessity of settling it with peaceful measures. “Two leaders acknowledged the importance of a rule-based approach to the peaceful settlement of maritime disputed without resorting to the threat or use of force,” said the joint statement.

The attitude of Duterte on the maritime issue was not consistent with his remarks in China earlier this month, which he hope the rule of Permanent Court of Arbitration in Hague, finding China as violated United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea, to “take the back seat.” According to a report of Japanese newspaper, Duterte dismissed a possibility of Philippine to take a stance out of the rule of Hague Arbitration Court. He promised to stand by Japan side, which has been consistently close to United States.

With expectation of economic support from Japan, Duterte made apparent lip service to the Japanese. He called Japan a “special friend who is closer than a brother” in his remarks to the Filipino community in Japan a day before the summit meeting. He said that the Philippines would continue to work closely with Tokyo and uphold democracy and the rule of law, putting aside his internal bloody campaign against drugs.

Japan answered Duterte’s flattering with warm treatment. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida waited Duterte’s arrival with fifteen-minute delay in front of a luxurious Japanese cuisine restaurant in Tuesday night. Japan offered two additional coast guard ships to help the Philippines to protect its interest in South China Sea. What Abe wanted from Duterte was basic endorsement on his policy toward South China Sea, reiterating necessity of peace and stability in the region, the principle which Abe thought that it would justify his decision of sending troops in overseas.

Japan did not make any effective effort to improve deteriorated relationship between Duterte and United States. In the speech Tuesday night, Duterte showed firm disrespect against U.S. “I want, maybe in next two years, my country free of the presence of foreign military troops,” he said. As a result Japan offered Duterte a venue for further bluster against U.S