According to Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, the Philippines intends to enter into reciprocal troop access arrangements with Canada, France, New Zealand, and other nations. The recent Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) inked with Japan on July 8 marks the start of these efforts, with plans to engage countries that assist the Philippines in combating Chinese maritime aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
RAAs are security pacts that allow troops to train and operate across borders. The pact with Japan, the first involving a Southeast Asian country, is pending ratification in Congress. Teodoro added that these agreements will improve military interoperability, allowing “like-minded countries” to collaborate on Philippine territory and vice versa.
The Philippines intends to finalise similar accords with Canada, France, and New Zealand by 2025, where the armed forces of these nations can operate within the Philippine territory and vice versa. These nations have expressed support for the Philippines’ rights within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
The move coincides with China’s assertive moves in the South China Sea, where Beijing claims vast territory. The Philippines, which has longstanding military agreements with the United States and Australia, continues to exercise its rights within its exclusive economic zone.
