Philippines broadens defence ties with Singapore amid China tensions
- Since territorial hostilities between China and the Philippines surged, Manila has taken steps to forge new security alliances
The Philippines and Singapore signed a defence pact on Wednesday that will allow their militaries to broaden their engagement, but few details were given about how the agreement could help address their security concerns in a region rife with conflicts.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr signed the memorandum of understanding with his counterpart in Singapore, Ng Eng Hen, in a ceremony that coincided with the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The agreement, which was not immediately made public, “serves as a framework to guide existing interactions and promote cooperation in areas of mutual interest such as military education and anti-terrorism,” Singapore’s Defense Ministry said in a brief statement.
It aims to “foster closer people-to-people links” and builds on an existing agreement on education, training aid and support activities for humanitarian help and disaster relief, the ministry added, without elaborating.
A Singaporean and two Philippine officials said the agreement is not a so-called status-of-forces agreement that the Philippines has signed with three countries, including the United States, which allows large-scale joint combat exercises.
It could allow joint but limited drills such as “tabletop exercises” simulating responses to humanitarian crises and natural disasters with agreed terms of engagement, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.
