Latest news with #SOVFA
Asahi Shimbun
01-05-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Philippines signs military pact with New Zealand to widen alliances while facing an assertive China
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., center, poses for a photo with New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins, left, and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro after signing the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, April 30, 2025. (Pool Photo via AP) MANILA--The Philippines signed a military pact with New Zealand Wednesday, allowing their forces to hold joint exercises as Manila continues to build security alliances as it faces an increasingly aggressive China in the disputed South China Sea. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. witnessed the ceremony in Manila, where Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr and and his New Zealand counterpart, Judith Collins, inked the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement. The treaty sets the legal framework to allow military engagements of both countries, including joint drills in each other's territory and other cooperative activities. It has been approved by New Zealand officials but still needs to be ratified by the Philippine Senate for it to take effect. China has frowned on the security alliances being pursued by the Philippines, one of the staunchest allies of the United States in Asia, under Marcos. When the Philippines signed a similar agreement with Japan in July, China's Foreign Ministry said the region did not need 'military blocs, let alone small groupings that instigate bloc confrontations or a new Cold War.' Philippine officials said then that China has no business meddling with their domestic affairs. 'These partnerships have become very important in the face of all that is happening,' Marcos said during Wednesday's ceremony. Ahead of the signing, Collins said in a statement that 'we are committed to reinvigorating our security relationships, to playing our part and working with regional partners such as the Philippines to uphold the international rules-based order.' Teodoro told The Associated Press in an interview last month that the Philippines would continue to build security alliances with other friendly countries to deter China's aggression. China's hostile actions, Teodoro said, should be regarded as a global threat because they could eventually restrict movement in the South China Sea, a key global trade route crucial for global supply chains. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and has deployed coast guard and navy fleets and suspected militia ships to guard what it says is its territory and airspace. It has used water cannons and dangerous blocking maneuvers against Philippine coast guard and fisheries vessels in the disputed waters, causing collisions and injuries on a number of occasions. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay claims that clash with China's, but territorial confrontations have particularly flared between Beijing and Manila in the last two years. The Philippines has visiting forces agreements with the U.S. and Australia, which has been participating in large-scale combat exercises between American and Filipino forces that include live-fire exercises in or near the South China Sea and in northern Philippine islands just a sea border away from southern Taiwan. The agreement signed with Japan has been ratified by the Philippine Senate and is expected to be approved by the Japanese legislature in the next few months. Canada and the Philippines have also concluded talks for such a pact, which is expected to be signed 'very soon,' Teodoro said in a news conference with Collins. French and Philippine officials have been separately holding initial talks also for a visiting forces agreement ahead of formal negotiations.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
New Zealand and Philippines defence pact to counter China's influence in South China Sea
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel New Zealand and the Philippines signed a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) on April 30 amid rising regional tensions with China. The pact will reinforce a growing network of security partnerships in the Indo-Pacific and allow troops from each nation to train and operate on the other's Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins and Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. formalised the deal at Manila's Malacañang Palace, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in said the agreement reflects a shared concern over 'the risks to the international rules-based order.' She added, 'As our prime minister has said, New Zealand looks to protect and advance our interests in the Indo-Pacific, and we can only do so alongside partners'.In his briefing, Teodoro mentioned the need to uphold international law in the South China Sea, where Beijing's 'Nine-Dash Line' claim overlaps with Philippine maritime zones. He hit out at China, saying, 'There are those who follow international law, and there are those who want to redefine it.'The new agreement adds up to Manila's existing pacts with the United States, Australia, and Japan and precedes a similar deal with Canada expected 'very soon,' Teodoro added. Together, these accords enable joint exercises, training exchanges, and mutual logistics support to enhance deterrence against any 'unwanted behaviour' at New Zealand, the SOVFA marks a step forward in Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's broader plan to 'pull their weight' in regional security. Luxon in early April 2025 announced NZ$9 billion in defence upgrades over four years, to lift military spending to 2 per cent of GDP within eight years. Analysts say the pact will help diversify Wellington's alliances beyond its traditional trade ties with maritime drills continue in the South China Sea—including recent exercises with the US, Japan, and Australia—the Philippines and New Zealand will begin 'military-to-military training' under the SOVFA's framework. Both governments view these agreements as essential for regional stability and freedom of navigation against growing Chinese power projection.
Reuters
30-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Philippines, New Zealand strengthen defence ties with troop pact
MANILA, April 30 (Reuters) - The Philippines and New Zealand strengthened defence ties with the signing of a landmark troop pact on Wednesday, opening the way for expanded military cooperation amid shared security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region. The Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, signed in Manila by Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and NZ Defence Minister Judith Collins, allows the two nations to deploy troops on each other's soil, making it easier for their militaries to work together. New Zealand took part in joint maritime exercises with the Philippines, United States, Australia, and Japan for the first time last year in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have repeatedly sparred over disputed areas. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, a vital trade artery, despite overlapping maritime claims by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, angering its neighbours. The signing of the SOVFA follows New Zealand's unveiling of a plan to boost defence spending by NZ$9 billion ($5 billion) over the next four years, and an aim to nearly double spending to 2% of GDP in the next eight years. A review of New Zealand's security capabilities in 2023 called for more military spending and stronger ties with Indo-Pacific nations to tackle issues of climate change and strategic competition between the West, and China and Russia. The Philippines and New Zealand will also elevate their diplomatic ties to a " comprehensive partnership" in 2026, reflecting their shared interests in maritime security, disaster response, and regional stability.
LBCI
07-03-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Philippines says to sign troops pact with Canada as defense ties deepen
The Philippines and Canada are set to sign a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) after negotiations to enhance defense and security cooperation between the two nations, Manila's defense ministry said on Friday. The agreement would establish a framework for increased military and defense cooperation and collaboration between the two nations and improve interoperability between their forces, the Philippines' defense ministry said. "The Philippines looks forward to the positive impact of the SOVFA, which is expected to contribute to peace, stability, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region," the ministry said, calling it a milestone in bilateral defense relations. Reuters
Asharq Al-Awsat
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Philippines Says to Sign Troops Pact with Canada as Defense Ties Deepen
The Philippines and Canada are set to sign a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) after negotiations aimed at enhancing defense and security cooperation between the two nations, Manila's defense ministry said on Friday. The agreement would establish a framework for increased military and defense cooperation and collaboration between the two nations and improve interoperability between their forces, the Philippines' defense ministry said in a statement. "The Philippines looks forward to the positive impact of the SOVFA, which is expected to contribute to peace, stability, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region," the ministry said, calling it a milestone in bilateral defense relations. Canada has supported the Philippines' stance in the South China Sea, backing a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that said China's vast South China Sea claims had no legal basis. China rejects that finding. In 2023, the Philippines and Canada signed an arrangement for the use of Ottawa's Dark Vessel Detection system to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by vessels that have switched off their location transmitters to evade detection. Amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, the Philippines has broadened its security partnerships while maintaining its long-standing alliance with treaty ally the United States. Last month, it concluded similar negotiations with New Zealand and the two countries expect to sign an official agreement in the second quarter of this year. Last year, the Philippines ratified a reciprocal access agreement with Japan, the first of its kind that Tokyo has signed in Asia, that would allow their militaries to deploy on each other's soil.
