The Philippines yesterday signed a visiting forces agreement with Canada, the latest in a series of pacts aimed at countering Beijing’s assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea.
The Philippines and China have engaged in frequent clashes in the crucial sea space, which Beijing claims in nearly its entirety despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
The Royal Canadian Navy last year began taking part in joint maritime patrols in the area with its US, Australian, Japanese and Philippine counterparts.
Photo: EPA
The visiting forces deal would allow Canadian troops to participate in joint exercises on land as well.
The agreement would deepen the relationship with the Philippine military while advancing Ottawa’s Asia-Pacific strategy, which calls for “a forward presence in the region,” Canadian Minister of National Defence David McGuinty said.
“[Canada] will be moving forward on training fronts, on exchanges with our military colleges, information sharing, understanding cybersecurity,” he told a joint news briefing in Manila.
He added that Canada hoped to take part in the archipelago nation’s annual Balikatan military exercises in spring next year.
Manila, a US treaty ally, signed a visiting forces pact with New Zealand earlier this year and already has agreements in place with the US, Australia and Japan.
A similar deal is in the works with France.
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