Germany, Philippines agree defense pact over South China Sea

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The Philippines and Germany agreed a new defense deal Sunday as Manila seeks to bolster its diplomatic support to counter Beijing’s vast maritime claims in the South China Sea.

The agreement focuses on “mutual understanding regarding capabilities, training exchange of information,” said the Philippines’ defense minister, suggesting Germany could supply military equipment to the Philippines in the future. Berlin is “strongly opposed any unilateral attempt to advance expansive claims” in the region, Germany’s defense minister said.

China and the Philippines have sparred for months over South China Sea territory, and the two countries recently signed a “tentative agreement” to end hostilities. But Beijing has continued to express frustration toward Manila, prompting the Philippine government to look to Europe and the US for support.

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The German-Philippine defense pact comes as China gets ready to appoint a new ambassador to Germany. Whomever Beijing chooses will have to immediately deal with Berlin’s accusations that Beijing coordinated a cyber espionage attack against a federal cartography agency in 2021.