TOKYO— President Rodrigo Duterte told Japanese businessmen that economic ties between Japan and the Philippines would remain intact, as he explained to them his recent visit to China and the Philippines’ waning of ties with the United States.
“I wish to underscore that stronger economic ties with Japan has been and will continue to be a priority for the Philippines as we celebrate the 60th year of our bilateral relations,” Duterte said at the Philippine Economic Forum in Tokyo.
“We look to Japan as a steady fulcrum in our regional engagements as the Philippines’ first and only bilateral free-trade partner to date,” he said.
He noted that Japan has been the Philippines’ top trading partner and a major source of official development assistance.
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He also hopes for more support from it, he said.
“We count on Japan to further extend is valuable support in our pursuits for promoting rural development, increasing agriculture productivity, accelerating infrastructure spending and investing in human capital development,” he said.
He seeks to entice more Japanese investors to go to the Philippines, and said he was working to provide an environment conducive for business. Peace and order is a crucial component of this, he added.
In his speech, Mr. Duterte also told them that he did not talk of any military alliance, and only economic matters were on the table. CDG