The Philippines and Canada are set to sign a visiting forces agreement, a military cooperation pact that would allow troops from both countries on each other’s soil for joint exercises and other activities amid China’s increasing influence in the region.
Canadian Minister of National Defence David McGuinty will be in Manila on Sunday to hold bilateral meetings with Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr and sign the agreement, according to an advisory released by the Department of National Defence on Wednesday.
The signing of the agreement follows steps by Manila and Ottawa to deepen their security relations since inking a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation in January last year.
Cooperation between both countries “has expanded both in breadth and depth across all areas of defence, especially in maritime security, cybersecurity and capacity building”, according to a statement by the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs in April.
Analysts called the agreement a natural step forward in the deepening security ties between the Philippines and Canada as both countries were concerned about China’s military build-up in the Indo-Pacific region.
