Canada and the Philippines signed a key defense agreement in early November 2025 to boost combat drills and expand security alliances to deter aggression.
Canada and other Indo-Pacific Allies and Partners have bolstered their military presence in the region to promote international norms, a strategy that dovetails with Manila’s efforts to build defense ties amid China’s increasing coercion in the disputed South China Sea.
Beijing claims nearly all of the waterway, a global trade route, despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling that invalidated its arbitrary sovereignty claims.
China ignores the ruling and has used powerful water cannons and dangerous blocking maneuvers against Philippine Coast Guard and other government and civilian vessels, resulting in collisions and injuries to crew. Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam also claim portions of the resource-rich sea.
Canadian National Defence Minister David McGuinty and Philippine National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. signed the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOFVA) in Manila. McGuinty said the pact will boost joint military training, information sharing, and cooperation in addressing natural disasters and other emergencies.
It also will be key to fostering a rules-based order in a region threatened by China’s aggression, Teodoro said: “Who is hegemonic? Who wants to expand their territory in the world? China.”
SOVFAs provide a legal framework for visits by foreign troops for joint large-scale exercises and other missions, such as humanitarian response. The Philippines signed its first such defense pact with longtime ally the U.S. in 1998 and has similar accords with Australia, Japan and New Zealand.
Manila is discussing defense agreements with France and Singapore and is expected to launch negotiations with the United Kingdom and possibly Germany and India, Teodoro and other officials said.
The SOVFA is the latest defense cooperation agreement between Canada and the Philippines. A 2023 accord gives the Philippines access to data from Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection System, which uses satellite technology to track vessels conducting illicit activities even if they disable their location-transmitting devices.
The Philippine Coast Guard has used the technology to track China Coast Guard ships and fishing vessels in the South China Sea.