Canada and the Philippines have concluded talks for a key defense pact that will enable their forces to hold joint drills and boost engagements, Manila’s National Defense Department said in March 2025.
Canada and other Western nations are reinforcing their military presence in the region to promote a Free and Open Indo-Pacific and expand trade and investment.
The Philippines, meanwhile, is broadening defense ties with like-minded countries to bolster its defenses as it faces an increasingly aggressive Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The agreement with Canada “will establish a framework for increased cooperation, fostering closer collaboration between defense and military establishments, improving interoperability between forces and facilitating more effective joint exercises and capacity-building exercises,” the Philippine Defense Department said.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the Philippines will continue to build security alliances to deter the CCP’s aggression. He said Beijing’s hostile actions could eventually restrict movement in the South China Sea, a crucial trade route for global supply chains.
The Philippines has visiting forces agreements (VFA) with Australia and the United States that provide a framework for visits by foreign troops and large-scale exercises.
Manila signed a similar accord with Japan in July 2024. Negotiations with New Zealand also recently concluded, and officials are discussing a similar agreement with France. Teodoro said the nation may seek VFAs with countries including Germany, India and Singapore.
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, disregarding an international tribunal’s 2016 ruling rejecting its territorial assertion. It deploys military and suspected militia ships to harass other nations’ vessels. CCP vessels frequently encroach into the exclusive economic zones of nations including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
China Coast Guard vessels have rammed, obstructed and fired water cannons at Philippine resupply boats in an attempt to impose Beijing’s illegal claims at Second Thomas Shoal and surrounding areas. CCP vessels also harass fishing crews in Philippine waters, and obstruct oil and gas operations in Indonesian, Malaysian and Vietnamese waters.
In August 2024, Canadian and Philippine forces joined those of Australia and the U.S. for air and naval maneuvers to ensure unhindered passage in the international waters of the South China Sea and to promote a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman said in February 2025 that his country has “been vocal in confronting the provocative and unlawful actions of the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea [and] will continue to do so.”
Canada and the Philippines signed a defense cooperation agreement in 2024. In 2023, Canada gave the Philippines access to data from its Dark Vessel Detection System, which uses satellite technology to track illegal vessels even if they disable their location-transmitting devices.
The Philippine Coast Guard has used the Canadian technology to track China Coast Guard ships and fishing vessels in the South China Sea.
