West PH Sea: Germany, Philippines sign defense agreement

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (right) and German Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (left) sign an agreement to expand defense cooperation between the two countries at the United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting in Berlin on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Photo from the Department of National Defense)

MANILA, Philippines — Germany and the Philippines have agreed to enhance defense ties and boost joint activities as Manila builds up a range of alliances to strengthen its position in a longstanding dispute with China in the contested West Philippine Sea.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and German counterpart Boris Pistorius signed an “arrangement concerning defense cooperation” in Berlin on Wednesday, agreeing to expand cooperation to include cybersecurity, defense armament and logistics, and United Nations peacekeeping, the Department on National Defense (DND) announced on Thursday.

The deal follows a visit by Pistorius to Manila last year, where he and Teodoro committed to boosting long-term relations between their militaries.

READ: Philippines, Germany agree to broaden defense agreement

“The Arrangement builds on the 1974 Administrative Agreement concerning [the] training of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel in Germany, one of the longest defense cooperation frameworks of the Philippines with another country,” the department said.

Teodoro and Pistorius will convene the third staff talks between the two countries to review the implementation of the signed agreement, the DND added.

The Philippines’ defense cooperation arrangement with Berlin adds to a growing list of defense deals beyond its traditional ally, the United States.

Last month, the Philippines signed a defense agreement with New Zealand for expanded military cooperation, and a similar deal with Canada is expected to be signed soon.

A reciprocal access deal with Japan was ratified in December, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the start of negotiations with France for a visiting forces agreement.

READ: Brawner, German counterpart discuss ‘military cooperation’

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, a vital trade artery, despite overlapping maritime claims by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, angering its neighbors.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said Beijing’s claims had no legal basis. China rejects that decision.

Pistorius said in Manila last August that the “ruling remains valid, without any exceptions.”

In September last year, two German warships went on a rare transit in the Indo-Pacific to demonstrate Berlin’s commitment to freedom of navigation. —With a report from Jason Sigales/INQUIRER.net /dl/abc