Manila, Canberra sign defense pact with eye on China

The Philippines and Australia yesterday signed a defense cooperation arrangement on Sunday that Manila said would lower bureaucratic hurdles to joint military activities, as the two countries deepen security ties.

Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr said the arrangement would streamline implementation of the bilateral Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) by simplifying coordination procedures.

“Rather than 100 steps to do a single thing, it will just now take 10,” Teodoro told reporters, describing the deal as an “anti-red tape measure” for implementing SOVFA.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, left, and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr, right, shake hands before inspecting a guard of honor during a signing ceremony at the Port of Manila yesterday.

Photo: EPA

The arrangement would pave the way for closer cooperation involving maritime, air and land forces, as well as humanitarian and disaster response, and would bolster the Philippines’ “credible deterrence posture,” including in the South China Sea, he said.

China’s defense and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent yesterday.

The Philippines has been broadening its network of security ties while complementing a long-standing alliance with its treaty partner, the US, in the face of what it describes as China’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, where countries have overlapping maritime claims.

Australia has consistently supported Manila’s position on the strategic waterway, backing a 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal that China’s sweeping claims have no basis under international law, a decision Beijing rejects.

Beijing maintains that its actions in the South China Sea have been lawful and professional. It routinely opposes Manila’s joint military activities with its allied partners, saying such drills heighten tensions in the region.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese witnessed the signing of the defense pact in Manila, where he is attending the ASEAN Summit.

He said the agreement would enhance maritime awareness and information sharing and increase strategic dialogue, training, interoperability and defense infrastructure development.

Albanese announced additional Australian investment in maritime domain awareness, including drone technology, equipment and training aimed at improving detection of maritime and cybersecurity threats.