MANILA: The Philippines and Germany on Sunday committed to finalizing a defence cooperation agreement this year amid continued tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea.
Defense Minister of Germany Boris Pistorius was in Manila to meet with his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro Jr. to strengthen ties between the two countries, which are celebrating 70 years of diplomatic ties.
They agreed to establish long-term relations between the two armed forces to expand bilateral exchanges, training and explore opportunities to enhance armaments partnerships and engage in joint projects.
In a joint statement, the ministers said they strongly opposed any attempt to advance expansive claims through force. The Philippines and China have overlapping claims in the disputed waters along with a few other states, but maritime confrontations between China Coast Guard ships and Philippine ships have soared in recent months.
“There is only one cause of conflict in the South China 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 during a press conference.
“The Philippines is not provoking China. We do not seek war, yet we are mandated not only by our constitution but as an obligation to our countrymen to protect whatever areas, whether be jurisdiction or rights, that rightfully belong to the exclusive benefit of Filipinos,” Teodoro said.
Manila and Berlin took steps to strengthen their military ties just days after the US announced $500 million in military aid to modernize the army of the Philippines.
READ ALSO: Clashes Erupt in Bangladesh As Protesters Demand PM Hasina’s Resignation
“These are in the command and control, anti-access aerial denial, maritime domain, aerial domain and in higher technologically capable equipment,” Teodoro added.
Pistorius’s visit on Sunday was the first such trip by a German defence minister, showing his country’s support for the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, which said that Beijing’s claims had no legal basis on the South China Sea.
