PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. joined Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN in condemning North Korea’s reported firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan.
“We join Japan, together with the rest of the ASEAN, in condemning the continued threat that the launching [of] ballistic missiles by the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] represents,” according to Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
The statement was made before his speech at the Asia Zero Emission Community or AZEC leaders’ meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo, part of the 50th Commemorative ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation Summit.
Marcos highlighted that while discussing regional economic progress, he envisions a peaceful and resilient Indo-Pacific Region. President Marcos emphasized that such dangerous and provocative actions by the DPRK pose a threat and destabilize the region and the world.
According to the Japan Coast Guard report, North Korea recently launched a long-range ballistic missile that reportedly fell into the sea west of Hokkaido.
Marcos urges swift, inclusive transition to clean energy
Meanwhile, President Marcos Jr. called for a swift and inclusive transition to clean energy.
The call was made during his participation in the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Leaders’ Meeting in Tokyo.
At the summit, President Marcos Jr. seized the opportunity to invite AZEC partners to invest in the Philippines’ renewable and emerging technologies.
Marcos also underscored the importance of collaboration in achieving the goals of AZEC and the Paris Agreement.
The AZEC summit, held concurrently with the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit, serves as a framework for cooperation among different countries striving for decarbonization and economic growth in Asia.
The summit concluded with a joint statement emphasizing the need for bio-derived biomass power generation and the use of small modular reactors, considered safer than conventional nuclear power plants. This effort aims to increase energy resources, particularly amid tensions in Ukraine and the Middle East.
