Australia and the Philippines signed on Sunday a defense agreement aimed at facilitating the organization of joint patrols, military exercises and disaster relief operations, Philippine officials announced. The agreement was signed in Manila by Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Australian Ambassador Marc Innes-Brown, in the presence of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is in the country for regional summits.
The document, called the Defense Cooperation Agreement, updates a 1995 agreement. It builds on another visiting forces agreement, in force since 2012, which already allows troops from both countries to train on each other’s territory.
According to Teodoro, the new agreement will simplify procedures for carrying out joint activities. “Instead of 100 steps to do a single thing, now only 10 will be needed,” he told reporters, according to Reuters. Closer cooperation between the two countries’ naval, air and land forces, Teodoro assessed, will help the Philippines confront threats, including those in the South China Sea.
Australia said the agreement covers information exchange, military planning and training, monitoring of maritime activity and the development of defense infrastructure. Asked whether the pact is intended to counter China, Albanese replied: “This is not directed against a single country.
It is about supporting the sovereignty of every country.” He stressed that most of Australia’s trade passes through the South China Sea and that it is important for maritime routes to remain open. Australia also announced additional funding for its Southeast Asia Maritime Partnerships program.
The program will provide regional partners with aerial and surface drones, secure communications equipment and training to detect and counter maritime threats and cyberattacks. The announcement does not include the funding figure. ## Australia-Philippines defense agreement and Manila’s other steps The agreement comes after several recent steps by the Philippines to strengthen military ties with partners.
On November 9, Japan agreed to supply the Philippine military with coastal radars and surveillance drones, under a 4.3 billion yen (24 million euros) grant. The equipment is intended to help monitor ships in waters around the country. In a November 10 statement, Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States also committed to a joint military coordination center in the Philippines.
They agreed to coordinate defense investments and expand joint exercises. China’s claims in the South China Sea overlap with those of the Philippines and several other Southeast Asian countries. Beijing has previously criticized Manila’s joint military activities with partners, saying they increase regional tensions.
An international tribunal ruled in 2016 that China’s claims to historical rights over resources had no legal basis where they exceeded the rights provided for by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Beijing rejects that ruling.