Affirming the security partnership

Immediately following the ASEAN-Australia Summit and the East Asia Summit in Jakarta, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese traveled to Manila for talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.

Australia-Philippines: Khẳng định quan hệ đối tác an ninh

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese begins his visit to the Philippines today, September 8th. (Source: EPA)

It had been 20 years since an Australian Prime Minister last visited the Philippines, but that doesn't mean the Canberra-Manila relationship lacks cohesion. On the contrary, these two neighboring countries have enjoyed close ties for the past 77 years.

Looking back at history, during World War II, the Australian army fought alongside the Filipinos against the Japanese fascists. The sacrifices of Australian soldiers contributed to helping the Philippines escape foreign domination.

After a period of stagnation, in 2015, during a visit by then-Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Canberra and Manila signed a Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Partnership, ushering in a period of strong development between the two countries.

Although cooperation between Australia and the Philippines is comprehensive, the security sector stands out. In 2007, the two countries made a breakthrough by signing the Visiting Forces Status Agreement (SOVFA), enabling Australian military forces to participate in exercises on Philippine soil.

Sharing common security challenges emerging in the region, particularly those related to maritime issues, has brought Canberra and Manila closer together. Defense cooperation has grown significantly, with the two countries frequently holding large-scale joint military exercises.

During this visit to the Philippines, Anthony Albanese reaffirmed the security partnership. He also aimed to boost trade and investment relations, which have been relatively sluggish. Compared to Japan and China, Australia has been quite limited in developing infrastructure projects in the Philippines.

However, past experience in security and defense relations provides a basis for Australia and the Philippines to diversify areas of cooperation, aiming to elevate the relationship to a strategic partnership.

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