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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr signed new memoranda of understanding with Australia this week, strengthening defence, cyber, and legal cooperation between the two countries.
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The memoranda come as the President undertakes his first visit to Australia ahead of the upcoming ASEAN-Australia summit, addressing a joint sitting of the Australian Parliament.
During his visit, both President Marcos and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shared their mutual commitment to the recently upgraded Strategic Partnership and a free and open Indo-Pacific.
It included comments from President Marcos to Parliament that The Philippines would not back down in the face of ongoing Chinese maritime incursions.
“I shall never tire of repeating the declaration that I made from the first day that I took office: I will not allow any attempt by any foreign power to take even one square inch of our sovereign territory," he told Parliament.
Prime Minister Albanese also took the visit to confirm $20 million to support Philippine justice system reform.
President Marcos and Prime Minister Albanese confirmed that the two nations signed an array of memoranda of understanding on areas related to the Strategic Partnership.
Areas include:
- Enhanced maritime cooperation to advance both nations’ civil and defence commitments.
- Protection of the digital economy with cyber and critical technology collaboration.
- And enhanced competition law and policy.
The agreements signal the deepening cooperation between Australia and the Philippines, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
“The Philippines is one of Australia’s key partners in Southeast Asia – we share a vision for an open, stable and prosperous region.
“The President’s historic address to the Australian Parliament articulated our shared vision for the region and for the thriving Australia-Philippines relationship.
“Our nations have never been closer, and realising opportunities through our Strategic Partnership will bring great benefits to Australians and Filipinos.
“I look forward to continued discussions with President Marcos at the ASEAN-Australia Summit.”
The announcement comes just days after reports that a “lightning-fast” defence cooperation agreement between Australia and neighboring Indonesia is currently being drafted, according to comments from Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles this week.
A treaty level agreement is reportedly being written up within months to allow respective defence forces to exercise together in both countries.
The announcement coincides with high-level defence and security discussions between Minister for Defence Marles and probable Indonesian president, Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 23 February.
“We are looking at the deepest, most significant defence agreement between our two nations in our respective histories. First time this will have occurred at a treaty level,” Minister Marles said earlier this month at a doorstop interview in Jakarta.
“It is profoundly important in terms of what it provides around being the platform for our two defence forces to exercise together, for Indonesians to exercise in Australia and vice versa. It is a very a significant statement about the strategic direction of both Indonesia and Australia.
“These are agreements which normally take many, many years, and we are very hopeful of being in a position to sign this in the next few months. If we can achieve that, that is a lightning-fast agreement.
“The training, exercises, the opportunity for both our defence forces to do more in each other’s country. This is the platform for that very practical engagement.
“Australia and Indonesia in a security sense, clearly have a shared destiny. We are neighbours; our security is entirely tied up in the security of Indonesia. The defence of Australia is entirely tied up in the defence of Indonesia. We have a collective and shared mission.”
