Australia and Philippines sign new defence pact amid South China Sea tensions

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr and Australian Ambassador Marc Innes-Brown signed the Defence Cooperation Arrangement in Manila. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended the ceremony during his visit for regional summits.

The agreement updates a 1995 deal and builds on a visiting forces agreement from 2012 that already allows troops to train on each other's territory. It is designed to make organising joint patrols, military exercises and disaster relief operations simpler.

Teodoro said the new arrangement would streamline procedures. "Rather than 100 steps to do a single thing, it will just now take 10," he told reporters.

He said closer cooperation between the countries' naval, air and ground forces would help the Philippines deter threats, including in the South China Sea.

Australia said the pact covers information sharing, military planning, training, monitoring activity at sea and developing defence infrastructure.

Albanese said the agreement is not aimed at any one country. "This isn’t aimed at any one country. This is about supporting sovereignty of every country," he said.

He said most Australian trade passes through the South China Sea and stressed the importance of keeping shipping routes open.

Australia also announced additional funding for its Southeast Asia Maritime Partnerships programme. It will provide partners with aerial and surface drones, secure communications equipment and training to help detect and respond to threats at sea and cyberattacks.

Regional military coordination

The agreement follows several recent steps by the Philippines to strengthen its defence partnerships. On 9 November, Japan agreed to supply coastal radar and surveillance drones to the Philippine military under a 4.3 billion yen grant.

On 10 November, Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States committed to a joint military coordination centre in the Philippines. They agreed to coordinate defence investments and expand joint exercises.

China’s claims in the South China Sea overlap with those of the Philippines and several other Southeast Asian countries. Beijing has previously criticised Manila’s joint military activities with its partners, saying they increase regional tensions.

An international tribunal ruled in 2016 that China’s claims of historic rights to resources had no legal basis where they exceeded the rights granted by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Beijing rejects the ruling.