THE PHILIPPINES’ top Defense official has invited Ireland to join naval exercises, as Manila looks to expand its network of security partners amid lingering tensions in the South China Sea.
The Philippine Defense department said Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. met with Ireland’s Ambassador to the Philippines Emma Hickey at the military headquarters in Manila on Monday to discuss strengthening defense cooperation, including maritime security and peacekeeping cooperation.
“This effort is aligned with the department’s efforts in building its capabilities through establishing cross-regional linkages,” the agency said in a statement, adding that the invitation for joint maritime exercises reflects the “manifestation of both countries’ commitment to uphold a rules-based international order.”
Ireland’s peacekeeping reputation could bolster the Philippines’ push for legitimacy in the South China Sea and counter China’s narrative of regional destabilization, Chester B. Cabalza, founding president of Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.
The Southeast Asian nation has boosted efforts to expand its web of alliances as it pushes back against China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea, organizing naval drills with allies as it turns to multinational cooperation to bolster maritime security.
The South China Sea has become a regional flashpoint as Beijing asserts sovereignty over nearly the entire waterway despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that voided its claims.
Manila and Beijing have repeatedly locked horns over maritime features that both nations claim in the resource-rich waters, leading to confrontations that involve the use of water cannons and repeated sideswipes by Chinese vessels against Philippine ships.
“While the Philippines and Ireland currently have no existing formal defense cooperation framework, Secretary Teodoro and Ambassador Hickey discussed opportunities in enhancing both country’s defense capabilities,” the Defense department said.
“In this regard, Secretary Teodoro welcomed exchanges of best practices with Ireland on force recruitment and sustainment,” it added.
The Philippines is expanding its defense partnerships with European nations, entering talks for visiting forces agreements with France and the UK.
A Philippine Navy spokesman in September said Chinese activity in contested maritime features in the South China Sea typically dials back in the presence of foreign navies during joint maritime drills.
Security cooperation with allies were boosted under President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., who has taken a firmer stance against China’s sweeping maritime claims compared with his predecessor. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
