Philippines and France Forge New Military Partnership Amid China Sea Disputes

The Philippines and France have established a new military cooperation agreement allowing joint training exercises in both nations. The partnership comes as tensions escalate between the Philippines and China over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

MANILA – A new military cooperation agreement between the Philippines and France will enable both countries to conduct joint training exercises on each other’s soil, as the Philippines seeks to strengthen defense partnerships while facing increased tensions with China over South China Sea territorial claims.

The visiting forces pact was formalized on March 26 when Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro met with French Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans Catherine Vautrin in Paris. During their discussions, both officials addressed regional security concerns and emphasized their commitment to maintaining international law and order.

Both nations stressed the importance of “the peaceful resolution of disputes” and highlighted the necessity of building stronger supply chain networks during times of crisis.

According to a statement from the Philippine defense department, “The agreement will greatly bolster bilateral cooperation and offer an adequate level of legal protection to the joint activities between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the French Armed Forces.”

France now joins the Philippines’ network of military partnership agreements, which already includes similar arrangements with the United States, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand.

The timing of this military agreement is significant, occurring just one day after Philippine military officials reported that a Chinese missile frigate “executed an unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvre” against a Philippine Navy ship operating near Thitu Island, a crucial Philippine military position in the contested waters.

China maintains territorial claims over nearly all of the South China Sea, a vital shipping corridor that handles over $3 trillion in annual trade.

The regional powerhouse continues to reject a significant 2016 international court decision that declared its expansive territorial claims in the waterway invalid.