Germany, Philippines working on defence cooperation deal

Germany and the Philippines on Sunday said they are working on a defence cooperation agreement, to be signed later this year, that would expand training between their armed forces and armaments cooperation.

The Philippines has been pushing to boost its external defences amid escalating tensions with China in the disputed South China Sea, and has been signing defence cooperation deals with other countries.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, who was visiting Manila, pledged to conclude the military policy agreement by the end of the year, and maybe as soon as October.

Cooperation could occur in air defence, coastal defence "and possibly the procurement of transport aircraft," Pistorius said after meeting Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.

Both said that human rights were also a topic of discussion.

Germany wants to increase its involvement in Asia. To this end, the Cabinet adopted guidelines on Germany's policy in the Indo-Pacific region in 2020. Military cooperation is a key element.

To kick off his trip, Pistorius visited the German navy, which is participating in the world's largest naval manoeuvre, Rimpac, with two ships off Hawaii. Air force soldiers took part in an exercise in Japan for the first time. In the middle of the month, German soldiers and combat aircraft will be in India for training, in another first.

In contrast, defence cooperation with the new partners in the Indo-Pacific region is progressing more slowly. A new arms export control law is in the pipeline, but is still a long way off.

Enhancing bilateral relations

In a joint statement, Pistorius and Teodoro said they "strongly opposed any unilateral attempt to advance expansive claims, especially through force or coercion," amid security challenges in both Asia and the Pacific, and Europe.

"Recognizing the wide array of opportunities for enhancing bilateral defense relations in light of security challenges that both countries face, the ministers committed to conclude a broader arrangement on defence cooperation," the ministers said.

"To this end, the ministers are committed to establish long-term relations between the armed forces and specifically to expand training cooperation and bilateral exchanges," the statement added.

"The ministers, moreover, intend to explore opportunities to further expand the bilateral armaments cooperation and to engage in joint projects."

While stressing that the enhanced cooperation was not directed at a specific country amid the Philippines' dispute with China over the South China Sea, Pistorius told a press conference: "All countries must be able to enjoy freedom of navigation, regardless of the economic strength or geographic size. This is what we stand up for together with our partners."

Teodoro said the enhanced cooperation would help the Philippines protect its sovereignty and the rights of its people, such as fishermen who are being deprived of their livelihood amid China's aggressive action in the South China Sea - including in areas that are part of the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

"There is only one cause of conflict in the South China Sea, particularly in the West Philippine Sea - it is China's illegal and unilateral attempt to appropriate most if not all of the South China Sea as their internal waters," Teodoro said.

"The Philippines is not provoking China. We do not seek war," he added.

China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, has taken increasingly aggressive actions in the area in recent years. It has ignored a 2016 ruling by an international arbitration court that it has no legal or historical basis for its expansive claims.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to the area, which is believed to be rich in natural resources.