Japan’s Takaichi Heads to Manila and China as Regional Summits Converge

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is due to begin a four-day trip to the Philippines and China on Monday, November 16, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said, according to Kyodo News reports carried by Anadolu Agency and The Mainichi. Her schedule includes a Japan-ASEAN summit in Manila on Tuesday, followed by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit in Shenzhen on November 18–19.

For Manila, the visit places Japan’s engagement with Southeast Asia alongside the Philippines’ hosting of this year’s ASEAN summit. Ozaki also said Takaichi was scheduled to co-chair a meeting of the Asia Zero Emission Community, a Japanese-led decarbonization framework, with the Philippines, Kyodo reported.

Arrangements are under way for the leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States to meet in Manila under the Quad framework, according to both Kyodo reports. The meeting has not been confirmed. If held, it would be the grouping’s first leaders’ summit since September 2024.

Takaichi’s subsequent stop in Shenzhen would be her first visit to China since relations deteriorated over her remarks last year about a possible Chinese military action against Taiwan, Anadolu Agency reported. She said at the time that an action including a naval blockade could constitute a situation permitting Japan to exercise collective self-defence. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory; Taipei rejects that claim. According to Anadolu Agency, China subsequently introduced measures including travel advisories discouraging visits to Japan, restrictions on Japanese seafood imports and curbs on rare-earth exports.

APEC, a forum of 21 member economies, provides a separate setting for economic discussions. Leaders in Shenzhen are expected to address trade, energy resilience and artificial intelligence, Anadolu Agency reported. APEC said Chinese officials had identified openness, innovation and cooperation as priorities for its 2026 host year.

For the Philippine delegation, a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is not expected on the sidelines of the Shenzhen summit, Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz told The Manila Times. He said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hoped to meet other APEC leaders and Chinese business executives. FlorCruz also described continuing contact between Philippine and Chinese foreign ministers as an effort to keep diplomatic channels open amid their maritime differences.