Germany and the Philippines said Sunday they are working on a defense cooperation agreement, to be signed later this year, that would expand training between their armed forces and weapons cooperation.
The Philippines has been pushing to bolster its external defenses amid escalating tensions with China in the disputed South China Sea, and has signed defense cooperation agreements with other countries.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who was visiting Manila, and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said they “strongly opposed any unilateral attempt to make expansive claims, especially through force or coercion”, in amid security challenges in Asia and the Pacific, and in Europe.
“Recognizing the wide range of opportunities to improve bilateral defense relations in light of the security challenges facing both countries, the ministers committed to concluding a broader agreement on defense cooperation,” the ministers said in a joint statement .
“To this end, the ministers are committed to establishing long-term relations between the armed forces and, specifically, to expanding training cooperation and bilateral exchanges,” the statement added.
“Furthermore, the ministers intend to explore opportunities to further expand bilateral armaments cooperation and participate in joint projects.”
Pistorious said the defense cooperation agreement would be signed later this year, “perhaps as early as October.”
While stressing that the enhanced cooperation was not aimed at a specific country amid the Philippines’ dispute with China over the South China Sea, Pistorius said at a press conference: “All countries should be able to enjoy freedom of navigation, regardless of economic strength or geographic size. This is what we defend together with our partners.”
Teodoro said enhanced cooperation would help the Philippines protect its sovereignty and the rights of its people, such as fishermen who are being deprived of their livelihoods amid China’s aggressive action in the South China Sea – including in areas which are part of the exclusive area of the Philippines. economic zone.
“There is only one cause of conflict in the South China Sea, particularly the West Philippine Sea – it is China’s illegal and unilateral attempt to appropriate most, if not all, of the South China Sea as its waters. internal”, said Teodoro.
“The Philippines is not provoking China. We do not seek war,” she added.
Teodoro rejected concerns that German defense assistance could be used by the government to implement human rights violations.
“It is to protect human rights, particularly the right to subsistence of Filipino fishermen and other Philippine industries, to have the exclusive right to explore and exploit the resources of the South China Sea within our exclusive economic zone,” he said.
China, which claims nearly all of the South China Sea, has taken increasingly aggressive actions in the area in recent years. It ignored a 2016 ruling by an international arbitration court that it has no legal or historical basis for its expansive claims.
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim the area, which is believed to be rich in natural resources.
Pistorius and Teodoro said they also talked about human rights developments in the Philippines since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr took office in 2022.
Marcos Jr is the only son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose government and family were accused of widespread human rights violations and corruption during his 20-year rule.
