THE Philippines and Australia inked on Thursday, February 29, 2024, three agreements that are seen to enhance the two countries’ information sharing, capability building, and interoperability in various issues.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the agreements cover the maritime domain and maritime environment, cyber and critical technology, and the effective implementation of the respective competition laws and policies of the two countries.
Marcos said the agreement on maritime domain is aimed to enhance the cooperation between the Philippines and Australia in order to strengthen the civil military cooperation, promote international law and rules-based international order, safeguard the marine environment and cultural heritage, enhance defense engagements, and establish avenues for dialogue among relevant agencies.
As he addressed the Australia Parliament, Marcos highlighted the need for Australia and the Philippines to join forces along with their allies against threats to the rule of law, to stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as to reinforce each other’s strength and continue to protect peace and oppose actions that violates international laws.
Australia is one of the only two partners with which the Philippines has a Visiting Forces Agreement.
“We have long known that our prosperity and development are anchored on the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific. Today, that peace, that stability, and our continued success, have come under threat,” said Marcos.
Marcos reiterated that the Philippine government will not waver in its resolve not to allow any foreign power to take even a single square inch of the Philippine sovereignty amid prevailing issues in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), which he earlier described as worrisome.
“The challenges that we face may be formidable, but equally formidable is our resolve. We will not yield. Then as now, the security and continued prosperity of the region -- of countries like Australia -- relies upon that effort. Just as we fought to build our rules-based international order, so are we now fighting to protect it,” he said.
He maintained, though, that the Philippines has an abiding interest in keeping its seas free and open, and in ensuring unimpeded passage and freedom of navigation as he noted the importance of upholding, preservation and defending the unified and universal character of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as the constitution of the oceans.
In a joint press conference after a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Marcos said the two countries discussed ways to amplify their joint maritime activities, as they both acknowledge the ties between Australia and the Philippines particularly on defense, maritime cooperation, non-traditional security concerns, trade and investment, development cooperation, multilateral collaboration and people-to-people linkages.
“Defense and security remain a key area of cooperation between the Philippines and of Australia. We look forward to amplifying our joint activities and the capacity-building efforts in this regard,” said Marcos.
In terms of cyber and critical technology, Marcos said the Philippines is looking forward to sharing information and best practices with Australia, including the conduct of capacity building, promoting a secured digital economy, and achieving greater understanding of the application of international law norms in cyberspace.
The cooperation on effective implementation of the respective competition laws and policies of the Philippines and Australia is one of the practical ways of the two countries to strengthen economic relations through the sharing of best practices and the conduct of capacity building on matters involving merger regulations, competition laws, and investigative techniques relevant to implementing competition laws.
Marcos and Albanese also discussed greater bilateral economic cooperation, which will allow both the Philippines and Australia to withstand shocks, to be resilient against economic coercion, and to provide an enabling environment for businesses and labor markets.
He added that they both look forward to more robust people-to-people ties to drive greater cooperation between the two countries and its peoples.
“The significant Filipino diaspora, the fifth largest immigrant community here in Australia, has contributed significantly to the economic and cultural wellbeing not only of our country, but yours as well,” the President said.
“It is also an undeniable indicator of Australia’s openness to embrace a globalized and interconnected world. Both the Philippines and Australia welcome future consultations and dialogues as we explore and map the uncharted waters that can bring in new opportunities for a closer and stronger relationship between our two countries,” he added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)