Germany and the Philippines have agreed to enhance defence ties as Manila builds up a range of alliances to strengthen its position in a longstanding dispute with China in the South China Sea.
Philippine defence secretary Gilberto Teodoro and German counterpart Boris Pistorius signed an “arrangement concerning defence cooperation” in Berlin, agreeing to expand cooperation to include cyber security, defence armament and logistics and UN peacekeeping, Manila’s defence ministry announced on Thursday.
The Philippines’ defence cooperation arrangement with Berlin adds to a growing list of defence deals beyond the United States.
Last month, they signed a defence agreement with New Zealand for expanded military cooperation, and a similar deal with Canada is expected soon.
A reciprocal access deal with Japan was ratified in December, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has approved the start of negotiations with France for a visiting forces agreement.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague said Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea had no legal basis. China rejects that decision.
Pistorius said in Manila last August that the “ruling remains valid, without any exceptions”.
In September last year, two German warships went on a rare transit in the Indo-Pacific to demonstrate Berlin’s commitment to freedom of navigation. — Reuters
