The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Enrique Manalo, is on a cross-Canada tour this week, as the two countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations.
The top Philippine diplomat spoke Tuesday at an event hosted by APF Canada, describing his country as one of Canada’s “closest and longest-standing friends in the Indo-Pacific.” He stated that “only diplomacy, fully adhering to international law,” can ensure that the Indo-Pacific region powers this century’s “global economic transformation.”
Ottawa sees the Philippines as an anchor for its Indo-Pacific Strategy: in January, the two countries inked a defence co-operation agreement, and in February, Ottawa pledged nearly C$30 million for development programming in the Philippines. The same month, Canada opened its inaugural ‘Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office’ in Manila.
Both sides appear interested in building on this momentum and establishing a more comprehensive strategic partnership.
Philippines throws cold water on China tensions
On Monday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that Philippine vessels would not use water cannons in rows with Chinese vessels, just days after Manila summoned a Chinese diplomat over the use of a “powerful” water cannon by a Chinese coast guard vessel on two Philippine ships.
The incident came, conveniently, in the middle of annual military exercises between the U.S. and the Philippines. This year’s ‘Balikatan’ exercises, the largest-ever iteration, saw the two countries team up for drills on maritime security, missile defence, and more.
Two’s a crowd, three’s a party — and four’s a ‘Squad’?
Last week in Hawaii, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hosted defence chiefs from Australia, Japan, and the Philippines, a group that U.S. officials have reportedly dubbed the ‘Squad’ — the latest addition to an ever-expanding ‘alphabet soup’ of Indo-Pacific alliances. Austin said the four countries will conduct joint patrols in the South China Sea, among other initiatives.
AUKUS remains the region’s most ‘exclusive’ pact, but maybe not for long: South Korea recently confirmed its interest in joining AUKUS’s ‘Pillar II,’ which encompasses advanced military technologies.
When reports surfaced last month that Canada and Japan were interested in Pillar II, Beijing said the move would undermine peace and security. Beijing has lodged similar complaints over the ‘Quad,’ a security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S.
