Philippines, Canada Sign Military Agreement

The Philippines and Canada have signed a new military cooperation agreement allowing troops from both nations to enter each other’s territories, marking the latest step in a series of defense partnerships aimed at countering China’s growing ambitions in the disputed South China Sea.

The accord, signed on Sunday, enables Canadian forces to take part in joint land exercises with their Philippine counterparts.

It builds upon Canada’s expanding security role in the Indo-Pacific region, following its participation last year in joint maritime patrols alongside the United States, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines.

Tensions in the South China Sea have continued to escalate, with frequent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the strategic waterway. Beijing claims nearly the entire sea as its sovereign territory, despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling that dismissed its assertions as baseless.

Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty said the agreement would strengthen cooperation with the Philippine military and support Ottawa’s Indo-Pacific strategy, which calls for a more sustained and forward presence in the region.

Canada is also set to join the annual Balikatan joint military exercises in the Philippines next spring.