Australia and Philippines Sign Defence Pact Covering Drones, Intelligence
Australia and the Philippines signed a defence agreement in Manila covering intelligence sharing, coastguard operations, joint training and drone-backed maritime surveillance. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed it as leaders arrived for the ASEAN summit, with the South China Sea disputes in the background.
Australia and the Philippines signed a new defence agreement in Manila on Sunday covering drones, intelligence sharing and coastguard operations, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paired the deal with lunch at a Jollibee outlet, a fried-chicken chain from the Philippines.
The pact also provides for joint training exercises. Australia will make additional investments in maritime surveillance, including drone technology, to help protect trade routes as China extends its reach over the South China Sea.
Albanese arrived in the Philippine capital with other world leaders for this week's ASEAN summit. He is due to meet Philippine President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr on Monday.
"These activities will contribute to making our region more safe, more secure, and more prosperous," Albanese said.
The Philippines sits on the front line of territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a key global trade route. China claims almost the entire waterway despite overlapping claims by other countries. It has built artificial islands in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
Hunter Marston, South-East Asia program director at the Lowy Institute, said the two countries already had fairly robust defence ties. Australia has stepped up its activities as the United States scaled down some of its military exercises in the region, he said.
"In the last year, Australia has been providing more underwater and surface vessel unmanned aquatic vehicles to enhance Philippines coastguard abilities," Marston said. "This agreement locks into place that already strong security co-operation, and provides some more institutional architecture for it."
Jollibee plans to invest $60 million opening 35 outlets in Australia over the next five years. The chain is also known for its gravy, spaghetti and hot dogs.
Albanese said he would focus on de-escalating conflicts, including in private talks with US President Donald Trump. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East continue to drive inflation worldwide, he said.
He endorsed a meeting due later this week between Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of APEC in China. "We think that dialogue is a good thing, and we await the outcome of that dialogue. It's obviously quite significant," he said.
Albanese will attend ASEAN, APEC and a Quad meeting this week and expects to meet Trump and Xi. He does not expect a meeting with Putin but said he would speak plainly if they met. "This is an illegal and an immoral invasion," he said of Russia's attack on Ukraine.
On Sunday he also met Vietnam's Prime Minister Lê Minh Hung, where he said he would raise the case of detained Australian man Hiep Tran.
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