Canada, Philippines Sign Defense Pact  11/03 06:07

   

   MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Canada and the Philippines, both staunch critics 
of China's increasingly coercive actions in the disputed South China Sea, 
signed a key defense agreement on Sunday to boost combat drills and expand 
security alliances to deter aggression, officials said.

   Canada and other Western nations have been bolstering their military 
presence in the Indo-Pacific to help promote the rule of law and expand trade 
and investment in the region. The strategy dovetails with President Ferdinand 
Marcos Jr. 's efforts to build defense ties with other countries to help the 
Philippines' underfunded military face a militarily superior China in the 
disputed waters.

   There was no immediate comment from China, which has accused the Philippines 
of being a "troublemaker" and a "saboteur of regional stability" following 
joint patrols and combat drills with the United States and other countries in 
the South China Sea.

   Beijing claims the waterway, a major trade route, virtually in its entirety, 
despite a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated those claims based on a 1982 
U.N. convention.

   China has dismissed the ruling and has employed powerful water cannons and 
dangerous blocking maneuvers against Philippine coast guard and other vessels, 
resulting in collisions and injuries to crewl. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and 
Taiwan also have been involved in the long-simmering territorial disputes.

   Philippines says China wants to expand its territory

   Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. signed the Status of 
Visiting Forces Agreement with his Canadian counterpart, David McGuinty, after 
a closed-door meeting in Manila on Sunday.

   McGuinty said the agreement will boost joint military training, 
information-sharing and cooperation in addressing emergencies, including 
responding to natural disasters.

   Teodoro told reporters the agreement will be key to fostering a rules-based 
international order in a region threatened by China's aggression. "Who is 
hegemonic? Who wants to expand their territory in the world? China," Teodoro 
said.

   Such agreements provide a legal framework for visits by foreign troops for 
joint large-scale exercises in either country.

   The Philippines signed the first such defense pact with the U.S. in 1998, 
followed by a similar accord with Australia nine years later. The agreement 
with Canada was the third signed under Marcos, after similar ones with Japan 
and New Zealand.

   Talks are ongoing with France and Singapore for similar agreements. Efforts 
are also underway to launch negotiations with Britain and possibly with Germany 
and India, Teodoro and other officials said.

   Beijing faces backlash over plans for disputed shoal

   At the annual meeting of defense ministers of the Association of Southeast 
Asian Nations with Asian and Western counterparts on Saturday in Malaysia, 
Teodoro condemned China's recent announcement that it would establish a "nature 
reserve" in the Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing area claimed by Manila and 
Beijing.

   "This, to us, is a veiled attempt to wield military might and the threat for 
use of force, undermining the rights of smaller countries and their citizens 
who rely on the bounty of these waters," Teodoro said.

   Canada criticized China's plan when it was announced in September, saying it 
opposes "attempts to use environmental protection as a way to take control" of 
Scarborough Shoal. Canada in September also criticized China's "dangerous" use 
of water cannons, which injured one Filipino official aboard a government 
vessel.

   Canadian Ambassador to Manila David Hartman has said his country has "been 
vocal in confronting the provocative and unlawful actions" of China in region's 
waters and "will continue to do so."

   Last year, Canada signed an agreement on defense cooperation with the 
Philippines. Another agreement signed in Ottawa in 2023 gave the Philippines 
access to data from Canada's "Dark Vessel Detection System," which harnesses 
satellite technology to track illegal vessels even if they switch off 
location-transmitting devices.

   The Philippine coast guard has used the Canadian technology to track Chinese 
coast guard ships and fishing vessels in the South China Sea.