The Philippines continues to expand its military alliances with friendly states amid the flaring of tensions over disputed areas of the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
On Sunday, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro vowed to establish long-term relations between their armed forces as they committed to signing a defense cooperation arrangement within the year.
The two defense chiefs said their country’s armed forces would “expand training and bilateral exchanges, explore opportunities to expand bilateral armaments cooperation, and engage in joint projects.”
The burgeoning alliance comes together as China aggressively tries to lay claim over most of the South China Sea, including areas claimed as exclusive economic zones by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
Teodoro and Pistorius said there is a need to “uphold international rules-based order in the region.”
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague said China’s claims had no legal basis, a decision that Beijing rejected outright.
“This ruling remains valid, without any exceptions,” said Pistorius.
“It is our obligation to strengthen the maritime border and we are living up to it,” Germany’s defense chief added.
For his part, Teodoro said the Philippines, seeking to modernize its military to boost external defense, will be “looking to engage Germany as a possible supplier of these capabilities”.
“These are in the command and control, anti-access aerial denial, maritime domain, aerial domain, and in higher technologically capable equipment,” Teodoro said at a press conference with Pistorius.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government remains confident to finish negotiations for a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the Philippines in the “coming months,” according to Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman during the arrival of HMCS Montreal in Manila on Friday.
The Canadian diplomat earlier disclosed that both countries have already exchanged drafts and texts of the agreement.
“We’re much more optimistic that we will be able to conclude far more quickly, and we really are hoping to advance in the coming months,” Hartman said.
“The reality is, we’ve already exchanged text drafts, frankly, what we would want to achieve and articulate or codify with the Philippines is very comparable to what any like-minded partner or ally would also. So we don’t have to reinvent the will, if you will,” he added.
Canada and the Philippines signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation Memorandum at the start of the year, enabling both countries to cooperate on military training exchanges, peacekeeping operations, and disaster response.
This MOU takes PH-Canada bilateral defense relations to the next level and paves the way for a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SoVFA) between the two countries.
“Canada and the Philippines share a common interest in upholding a rules-based international order and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Hartman said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline Philippines, Germany to sign defense cooperation pact within the year
