Germany and the Philippines said Sunday they are working on a defense cooperation agreement to be signed later this year that would expand training between the armed forces and weapons cooperation.
The Philippines has sought to bolster its external defenses as tensions with China mount in the disputed South China Sea, and has signed defense cooperation agreements with other countries.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who visited Manila, and Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro said they “strongly oppose any unilateral attempt to assert sweeping claims, especially through force or coercion,” due to security concerns in both Asia and the Pacific and Europe.
“The ministers recognize that there are many opportunities to enhance bilateral defense relations in light of the security challenges facing both countries. They have therefore committed to a broader agreement on defense cooperation,” the ministers said in a joint statement.
“Therefore, the ministers are determined to establish long-term relations between the armed forces and, in particular, to expand cooperation in the field of training and bilateral exchanges,” the statement said.
“In addition, the ministers plan to explore opportunities to further expand bilateral armaments cooperation and implement joint projects.”
Pistorious said the defence cooperation agreement would hopefully be signed later this year, “maybe as early as October.”
Stressing that the enhanced cooperation was not aimed at any specific country amid the Philippines-China dispute over the South China Sea, Pistorius told a news conference: “All countries should be able to enjoy freedom of navigation, regardless of economic strength or geographical size. This is what we stand for together with our partners.”
According to Teodoro, the closer cooperation would help the Philippines protect its sovereignty and the rights of its people, such as those of fishermen who are being deprived of their livelihoods as a result of China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea, including in areas that are part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
“There is only one cause for the conflict in the South China Sea, particularly the Western Philippine Sea: China’s illegal and unilateral attempt to appropriate most, if not all, of the South China Sea as its internal waters,” Teodoro said.
“The Philippines is not provoking China. We are not seeking war,” he added.
Teodoro dismissed concerns that German defense aid could be used by the government to commit human rights violations.
“The aim is to protect human rights, especially the right to livelihood of Filipino fishermen and other Philippine industries, to have the exclusive right to explore and exploit the resources of the South China Sea within our exclusive economic zone,” he said.
China, which claims nearly the entire South China Sea, has taken increasingly aggressive steps in the area in recent years, ignoring a 2016 ruling by an international arbitration court that it had no legal or historical basis for its sweeping claims.
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay claim to the area, which is believed to be rich in natural resources.
Pistorius and Teodoro said they also discussed human rights developments in the Philippines since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022.
Marcos Jr. is the only son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. His government and family have been accused of widespread human rights abuses and corruption during his 20-year rule.
