Philippines says Canada troops pact ready for signing, eyes China deterrence

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The Philippines has previously accused China of ramming its ships in contested waters, but Beijing has said all its actions were lawful.

PHOTO: AFP

SINGAPORE - The Philippines said its visiting forces agreement with Canada is ready for signing, as the South-east Asian nation builds a coalition of like-minded nations and deterrence amid tensions with China.

Manila is also negotiating a similar military pact with France, while it is forging an enhanced defence cooperation with India, Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr said on July 9 at the Reuters Next event in Singapore.

The Philippines said in March that it concluded discussions with Canada for the pact, which would facilitate joint exercises between their militaries. Mr Teodoro did not provide a timeline for the signing of the agreement.

“It is a coalition of unity that we are creating here, to create some momentum in resilience because of our shared desire for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he said.

Manila, a US treaty ally, has also sealed military agreements with Japan and New Zealand.

The defence partnerships are part of efforts to build deterrence, Mr Teodoro said, amid what he calls “illegal incursions of China” in the South China Sea. Beijing lays sweeping claims over the resource-rich waterway, which Mr Teodoro calls a “major security concern”.

The Philippines has previously accused China of ramming its ships in contested waters, but Beijing has said all its actions were lawful.

“I feel that the prospect of war is not imminent. I believe it is remote. But that would depend