Germany and the Philippines have agreed to strengthen defense ties and expand cooperation as Manila seeks more allies amid its South China Sea dispute with China.
Philippine defence secretary Gilberto Teodoro and German counterpart Boris Pistorius signed an “arrangement concerning defence cooperation” in Berlin on Wednesday, agreeing to expand cooperation to include cyber security, defence armament and logistics and United Nations peacekeeping, Manila’s defence ministry announced on Thursday.
The deal follows a visit by Pistorius to Manila last year where he and Teodoro committed to boosting long-term relations between their militaries.
Expansion
“The Arrangement builds on the 1974 Administrative Agreement concerning Training of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel in Germany, one of the longest defense cooperation framework of the Philippines with another country, and expands cooperation between the two (2) defense and military establishments in the fields of cyber security, defense armaments and logistics, and United Nations (UN) peacekeeping, among others,” an official news release from Philippines’ Department of National Defense read.
The Philippines’ defence cooperation arrangement with Berlin adds to a growing list of defence deals beyond its traditional ally the United States.
A Flurry Of Deals
Last month, the Philippines signed a defence agreement with New Zealand for expanded military cooperation, and a similar deal with Canada is expected to be signed 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.
Beijing And South China Sea
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, a vital trade artery, despite overlapping maritime claims by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, angering its neighbours.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague said Beijing’s claims 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.
(With inputs from Reuters)
