U.S. envoy highlights trilateral gains with Japan, Philippines

The United States remains firmly committed to the security of the Philippines under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Y. Robert Ewing said Tuesday as he highlighted recent cooperation among Washington, Manila and Tokyo.

Ewing delivered the remarks Feb. 10, 2026, at a U.S.-Philippines Society trilateral panel at The Peninsula Manila, thanking the organization for convening the event and underscoring efforts to strengthen ties between the two countries.

“Last year marked an exceptional chapter for the Philippines, Japan, and the United States,” Ewing said, arguing that trilateral collaboration has produced results that “clearly demonstrate the strength of our trilateral partnership.”

He anchored the security message on the Mutual Defense Treaty, describing the alliance as 75 years strong and linking it to shared values and a “free, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific,” while citing China’s “increased aggression in the South China Sea” as a key concern.

“Building credible deterrence is a shared responsibility,” Ewing said, adding that the trilateral partnership continues to make “significant progress.”

Ewing cited diplomacy at the 2025 ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, saying Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Japan’s then-foreign minister and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed commitments to regional peace, stability and freedom of navigation.

He said the officials also emphasized that a free and secure Indo-Pacific depends on the Philippines’ economic growth, framing development as a strategic complement to defense cooperation.

On military interoperability, Ewing pointed to Balikatan 2025 as an example of deeper coordination, noting the annual U.S.-Philippines exercise welcomed Japan as a participant.

He also highlighted a 2025 joint coast guard exercise off Kagoshima that brought together 350 personnel from the three countries to respond to high-seas emergencies, describing exercises that are growing in sophistication and scope.

Economic cooperation, Ewing said, is another pillar of the partnership, citing the April 2024 announcement by the U.S., Japan and the Philippines of plans to develop the Luzon Economic Corridor under the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment.

He said the corridor’s focus on transportation, energy and digital innovation is intended to create jobs, improve connectivity and drive growth, while strengthening supply chains and catalyzing private investment.

Ewing referenced projects tied to the corridor, including Japan’s North-South Commuter Railway and the U.S.-supported Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas freight railway, as examples of infrastructure meant to deepen inter-island and gateway connectivity in Luzon.

Technology innovation, he said, is central to trilateral work, including the launch of an Open Radio Access Network laboratory at the University of the Philippines aimed at advancing secure network infrastructure.

He added that the United States and partners are supporting workforce development for the Philippines’ civil nuclear program and strengthening cyber defense capabilities to respond to more complex threats.

Ewing said the private sector will be crucial in unlocking new engines of growth, pointing to plans in the coming year to accelerate private investment in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, digital infrastructure, liquefied natural gas and other critical sectors.

“The common thread across all these efforts is clear: our aligned, collective actions are making a real impact,” Ewing said, as he pledged continued work to deepen interoperability, expand maritime cooperation, attract investment and drive technological transformation.

He closed by saying the United States welcomes additional partners who share a commitment to a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific, describing the trilateral partnership as “strong, results-driven, and poised to achieve even greater successes in the year ahead.”