Philippines' eyes defence pacts with France, Canada and NZ, minister says

Secretary Blinken, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan meet with Philippines at U.S. State Department

Secretary Blinken, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan meet with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, and Philippine National Security Advisor Eduardo M. Año at the Department of State in Washington, U.S., April 12, 2024. REUTERS/Michael A. McCoy/ File Photo

Source: REUTERS

The Philippines is looking to forge reciprocal troops access agreements with Canada, France, New Zealand, and other countries, the defence minister said on Monday.

Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told ANC news channel he hoped the agreements could be signed next year.

The agreements would allow greater interoperability, as armed forces of these countries can operate within the Philippine territory and vice-versa, Teodoro said.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

RSF index reveals that press freedom gaps widened globally in 2025

"It is close to the apex of a defensive alliance," he said.

The Philippines and Japan signed a landmark military pact earlier this month that allows the deployment of forces on each other's soil in the face of China's increasingly assertive stance in the region.

Canada, France, and New Zealand have expressed support for the Philippines' claims within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea and rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague that its expansive claims had no basis under international law. The case was brought to the court by the Philippines.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters