SUMMARY
MANILA, Philippines – In their second meeting as the defense ministers of their four nations, the Philippines, United States, Japan, and Australia raised concerns about China’s presence in the West Philippine Sea, strongly objecting to the “dangerous use” of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, a joint readout from the four countries said on Saturday, May 4.
The joint readout, released to Philippine media by the Philippine Department of National Defense said China’s aggression was the highlight of the meeting held in Hawaii on Thursday, May 2, among Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III, Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru, and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles.
The meeting cam…