Australia, Philippines Upgrade Defense Ties With Focus on China

Australia and the Philippines signed a new defense pact Sunday, boosting military cooperation as the US allies face a more assertive China in the Asia-Pacific region.

Australia and the Philippines signed a new defense pact Sunday, boosting military cooperation as the US allies face a more assertive China in the Asia-Pacific region. 

The two nations signed the Defence Cooperation Agreement in a ceremony at an Australian naval vessel docked in Manila. The deal will enhance military infrastructure development and maritime awareness and information sharing, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said after the signing.

“These activities will contribute to making our region more safe, more secure and more prosperous,” he said. “Together with the Philippines and our regional partners we are strengthening maritime resilience and security that helps underpin a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.”

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the agreement will help the two “work faster, speedier. It streamlines the coordination process,” adding that it will cover maritime, land and air coordination. 

The Philippines and China have clashed repeatedly in the South China Sea over recent years in areas where both nations have competing territorial claims. 

While Albanese denied that Sunday’s deal was aimed at any one nation, Australia, the US and Japan have been boosting support for the Philippines, including for its coast guard and navy to help Manila counter Chinese pressure. 

The security upgrade comes the same week the Philippines hosts the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and China hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Shenzhen. 

South China Sea

Both Albanese and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are expected to meet with Chinese officials through the week, including a bilateral between the Australian and Chinese leaders. They’ll also have the opportunity to discuss regional security with US President Donald Trump, who arrives on Tuesday in Manila, before heading to Shenzhen for EC.

Last month the defense ministers of Australia, the US, Japan and the Philippines — a grouping known informally as the Squad — met in the Philippines to express “serious concerns about the situations in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.” They also raised opposition to “any unilateral actions, including by force or coercion, which escalate tensions and undermine regional peace and stability.”

The group agreed to establish a Combined Coordination Center in the Philippines to support the country in defending its territory. 

In recent years Australia has been investing to build up defense infrastructure at a series of bases across the Philippines, and also providing drones and other support for the coast guard. 

Australia has previously raised concerns about China’s aggressive tactics in the South China Sea, comments which Beijing have rejected. China’s Foreign Ministry has said Australia isn’t a party to what happens in the area and was in “no position to interfere in the maritime issues between countries concerned.”

Albanese said Sunday he’ll meet with China’s President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang later this week at the EC summit in China, and “there are a range of issues we’ll discuss.”

“We support freedom of navigation. We have exercises that are important. We have no intention of changing that,” he said. “Our views are clear. There are areas where Australia and China have disagreed.”

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