Philippines, Germany commit to finalizing defense deal amid tensions in South China Sea

MANILA: The Philippines and Germany committed on Sunday to finalizing a defense cooperation agreement this year, saying they strongly opposed expansive claims in the South China Sea amid continued tensions with Beijing in the disputed waters.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was in Manila to meet with his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro Jr. to enhance ties between their countries, which are celebrating 70 years of diplomatic relations.

They agreed to establish long-term relations between their armed forces to expand training and bilateral exchanges, explore opportunities to expand armaments partnerships and engage in joint projects.

In a joint statement, the ministers said they “strongly opposed any unilateral attempt to advance expansive claims, especially through force or coercion,” alluding to recent incidents in the South China Sea.  

The Philippines and China have overlapping claims in the strategic waters along with a few other countries, but maritime confrontations between China Coast Guard ships and Philippine vessels have increased in recent months.

In June, Manila said the China Coast Guard rammed and boarded Philippine naval vessels during their resupply mission on the Second Thomas Shoal, part of the contested waters that has become a central flashpoint between the two countries.

“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.”

Manila and Berlin took measures to deepen their military ties just days after the US announced $500 million in military funding to modernize the Philippine army, an ongoing effort that will also see Manila “looking to engage Germany as a possible supplier,” Teodoro said.  

“These are in the command and control, anti-access aerial denial, maritime domain, aerial domain and in higher technologically capable equipment,” he added.

Pistorius, whose visit on Sunday was the first such trip by a German defense minister, underscored 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.

The decision, which was based on the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, was rejected by China.

“This ruling remains valid without any exceptions. It is our obligation to strengthen the maritime order, and we are living up to it,” Pistorius said, adding that countries must contribute to de-escalation efforts by keeping “all channels of communication open,” including with China.

“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.”

For Manila, stronger defense ties with Germany are “important as a symbol of the Philippines’ growing security network” at the global level, said retired US Air Force Col. Raymond Powell, a director at Sealight, a project based in Stanford University that focuses on maritime transparency.

“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,” Powell told Arab News.

Aaron Jed Rabena, a senior lecturer at the Asian Center of the University of the Philippines, said strengthening relations with Germany was a strategic move for Manila.

“This is part of the Philippines’ strategy to broaden its web of security partners and get as much defense and political support from them as possible,” he told Arab News.

“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.”