Canada, Philippines to sign defence pact to boost combat drills and deter China’s aggression

MANILA: Canada and the Philippines, both staunch critics of China’s increasingly coercive actions in the disputed South China Sea, were to sign a key defence agreement on Sunday (Nov 2) on joint readiness drills and expand security alliances to deter aggression, Philippine officials said.

Canada and other Western nations have been bolstering their military presence in the Indo-Pacific to help promote the rule of law and expand trade and investment in the region. The moves dovetail with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s efforts to build defence ties with other countries to help his country’s underfunded military face a militarily superior China in the disputed waters.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr would sign the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement with his Canadian counterpart, David McGuinty, after a meeting in Manila on Sunday, the Department of National Defense in Manila said.

The agreement will be key to fostering a rules-based international order and resisting “attempts to redefine the norms to the selfish advantage of powerful countries”, Teodoro told McGuinty at the start of their meeting.

Such agreements provide a legal framework for visits by foreign troops with weapons and for joint large-scale combat exercises in either country.

The Philippines signed the first such defence pact with its longtime treaty ally, the United States, in 1998, followed by a similar accord with Australia nine years later.

The agreement with Canada would be the third signed under Marcos after similar ones with Japan and New Zealand.

Talks are ongoing with France and Singapore for similar agreements. Efforts are also underway to launch negotiations with Britain and possibly with Germany and India, Teodoro and other officials said.

There was no immediate comment from China, which has accused the Philippines of being a “troublemaker” and a “saboteur of regional stability” for staging joint patrols and combat drills with the United States and other countries in the South China Sea.