Germany, Philippines enter in defence agreement amid rising tensions in South China Sea

Philippines Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro and German Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius committed to a defence agreement intended to increase cooperation between their respective defence forces, claiming that they oppose China’s expansionist claims in the South China Sea.

The crucial decision came while both were present at a meeting held in Manila, Arab News Reported.

While commemorating the 70 years of diplomatic relations between both countries, the delegates also showed interest towards establishing long-term relations between their armed forces. And also to expand defence training routines, bilateral exchanges and engage in joint projects.

Recently, tensions between Beijing and Manila have increased due to several altercations happening in the disputed areas of the South China Sea.

In June this year, Manila claimed that China had rammed Manila’s navy vessels during a resupply mission on the Second Thomas Shoal.

The incident at that time seriously injured Filipino sailors. Similarly, the defence forces of Taiwan, yet another country facing China’s expansionist claims have also reported several interventions by Chinese aircraft in its airspace in July this year.

China currently claims its authority over the majority of the South China Sea, despite a 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague clarifying that Beijing’s claims in the area had no legal basis.

The decision was based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). However, it was rejected by China.

According to the Arab News report, during a press meeting on the sidelines of the event, Teodoro mentioned, “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. 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.”

The move by Manila and Berlin came within days after the US announced USD 500 million military funding to modernize the Philippine army. Pistorius’s,visit to the Philippines was the first organized by a German defence minister, the Arab News report claimed.

Additionally, Pistorius also mentioned that “This ruling remains valid without any exceptions. It is our obligation to strengthen the maritime order, and we are living up to it. It is important that we support and protect the rules-based international order in what we’re doing here. Our commitments and engagements here are not directed against anybody but instead, we’re focusing on maintaining the rules-based international order, securing freedom of navigation and protecting trade routes.”

He also added that countries must contribute to de-escalation efforts by keeping “all channels of communication open,” including with China.

The same report also quoted retired US Air Force Col. Raymond Powell, a director at Sealight, a project based at Stanford University that focuses on maritime transparency, who mentioned that “For Manila, stronger defence ties with Germany are “important as a symbol of the Philippines’ growing security network” at the global level. It carries fewer material benefits than its relationships with established Indo-Pacific powers like the US, Japan and France, but it is important (in) showing the Philippines as an integral member of a strong global community with significant economic resources and military capabilities.”

Additionally, Aaron Jed Rabena, a senior lecturer at the Asian Center of the University of the Philippines, highlighted that strengthening relations with Germany was a strategic move for Manila. He, in the Arab News report, said, “This is part of the Philippines’ strategy to broaden its web of security partners and get as much defence and political support from them as possible. I wouldn’t be surprised if Germany will soon take part in military exercises and even talk of a VFA (visiting forces agreement) with the Philippines.”