Manila, Paris to discuss security ties at French defense forum

THE Philippines will discuss security ties with France on the sidelines of a major French defense forum this week, as Manila continues to broaden its military partnerships amid growing tensions with China.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. and French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin are scheduled to meet at the Paris Defense Strategy Forum from March 24 to 26 to discuss ways to strengthen and align their countries’ defense cooperation, the Department of National Defense (DND) said on Monday.

“France is among the growing number of partners that share the Philippines’ commitment to protect the rules-based order and advance security and stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” it said in a statement.

The talks come as Manila and Paris move closer to finalizing a visiting forces agreement (VFA), a military pact that would allow troops from both countries to operate in each other’s territories. Negotiations began last year, and officials expect the pact to be concluded later this year.

Once signed, France would become the first European country to secure a VFA with the Philippines, marking a significant expansion of Manila’s defense partnerships beyond its traditional allies. Philippine officials have repeatedly stressed the need to diversify security ties as geopolitical tensions intensify in the region.

The Philippines remains locked in a maritime dispute with China over competing claims in the South China Sea, a vital global trade route believed to hold vast energy resources.

Beijing asserts sovereignty over most of the waterway based on a so-called nine-dash line map dating back to the 1940s that overlaps with the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

In 2016, a United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal ruled that China’s expansive claims had no legal basis under international law, a decision Beijing has rejected while continuing to deploy coast guard and militia vessels across the disputed waters.

In response to these tensions, Manila has stepped up defense cooperation with like-minded countries. In addition to its longstanding alliance with the US, the Philippines has signed visiting forces agreements with Australia, Japan and New Zealand, while similar negotiations with the UK continue.

The proposed military pact with France would “provide the legal framework” for joint exercises, training activities and other defense engagements, the DND said, enabling closer operational coordination between Philippine and French forces.

Separately, Senator Erwin T. Tulfo said the government plans to build a “moral, welfare and recreation center” in Kalayaan municipality in Palawan province to improve living conditions for residents in the Philippines’ westernmost outpost.

Speaking at a livestreamed forum in Puerto Princesa City, Mr. Tulfo said the two-story facility would provide communal space and include satellite internet equipment to improve connectivity. He did not specify which island would host the project, though Thitu Island — the administrative center of Kalayaan — is the area’s largest inhabited feature.

A small Filipino civilian community has lived on Thitu Island since 1971, alongside a military outpost that underscores the Philippines’ presence in the contested Spratly Islands.

Mr. Tulfo said the government also plans to build cemented housing units and install desalination machines as part of efforts to make the island more self-sustaining. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio