Australia and the Philippines’ push to finalise an “enhanced defence cooperation” agreement by next year underscores how regional allies are accelerating security coordination in response to China’s growing assertiveness in contested waters, a shift analysts say could reshape strategic dynamics in the South China Sea.
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The talks were announced during a Friday press conference in Manila, where Australian Deputy Prime Minister and defence chief Richard Marles and Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr said the agreement would build on existing frameworks and “put meat into the skeletons” of the two countries’ military relationship.
Under the proposed accord, Australia planned to pursue “eight different infrastructure projects across five different locations” in the Philippines, Marles said, adding that both countries had agreed to develop a plan to guide investment “for the benefit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines”.
Teodoro declined to give specifics, saying: “We cannot tell you. Only China will benefit if we tell you.”
Analysts say the planned pact would serve as a strategic bridge between Manila, Canberra and Tokyo, implementing a loose trilateral framework that complements existing US-led security arrangements.
With the planned agreement with Australia, “the triangular network with Japan in the Pacific would deepen their military ties, particularly that the [reciprocal access agreement] will be operationalised next month,” Chester Cabalza, founding president of the International Development and Security Cooperation think tank in Manila, told This Week in Asia.