January 19, 2017

"Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe just wrapped up his tour to four Asia-Pacific nations - the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia and Vietnam - Thursday. During the six-day trip, he mentioned the South China Sea disputes on many occasions to keep China in check in the name of maritime security. He will head to Washington soon to meet with incoming US President Donald Trump. With Trump about to enter the White House, Tokyo has become increasingly proactive in regional diplomacy, but Beijing is cautious about Japan's moves. 

Abe has proposed to offer more economic assistance and enhance maritime security cooperation during his visit to three Southeast Asian countries. In the next five years, Japan pledged to provide 1 trillion yen ($8.826 billion) to the Philippines, 74 billion yen to Indonesia and 120 billion yen to Vietnam. In addition, it also pledged to provide advanced vehicles including high-speed patrol boats. Abe also offered to provide Manila with a missile but was declined by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte who claimed he does not want to see a third world war."

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