Daily Times

The Philippines and Germany on Sunday committed to signing a defense cooperation arrangement this year, vowing to stand for the international rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro committed to establishing long-term relations between their armed forces to expand training and bilateral exchanges, explore opportunities to expand bilateral armaments cooperation and engage in joint projects.

The two met in Manila during the first such visit by a German defense minister, as their countries mark 70 years of diplomatic relations.

Teodoro said the Philippines, seeking to modernize its military to boost external defense, will be “looking to engage Germany as a possible supplier of these capabilities.”

“These are in the command and control, anti-access aerial denial, maritime domain, aerial domain and in higher technologically capable equipment,” Teodoro told a press conference with Pistorius. Manila and Berlin are deepening military ties as tensions have flared in recent months between China and the Philippines, which have traded accusations over run-ins in disputed areas of the South China Sea, including charges China intentionally rammed Manila’s navy boats seriously injuring a Filipino sailor.