Drones, intelligence and a bucket of chicken: Australia and the Philippines sign new defence pact

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A new agreement between Australia and the Philippines aims to strengthen military and intelligence ties as China asserts authority in the South China Sea.

Manila, Philippines: Australia will ramp up its investment in drones and other defence measures in a pact with the Philippines to protect important trade routes and increase maritime surveillance as Beijing extends its reach over the South China Sea.

The new pact was inked as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other world leaders arrived in Manila for this week’s ASEAN summit, where middle powers will seek to form strong positions on energy security and global volatility before heads of three of the world’s most powerful countries come together on the sidelines of APEC in China.

Albanese signalled he would focus on de-escalating conflicts, including in his private meetings with US President Donald Trump, as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East continue to drive inflation worldwide.

“That’s something that’s impacting everyone who will be at the ASEAN summit tomorrow,” he said. “We’ll be discussing how we can work together to mitigate the impacts of the war, but also we want to see a de-escalation. And the coming days will be really important [to that].”

Albanese endorsed a historic meeting due later this week between Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We think that dialogue is a good thing, and we await the outcome of that dialogue. It’s obviously quite significant,” he said.

As part of his visit to the Philippines, Albanese stopped for lunch at the country’s Jollibee’s franchise for some gastronomic diplomacy. The globally successful chain, famous for its fried chicken and gravy, spaghetti and hot dogs, plans to invest $60 million opening 35 outlets in Australia during the next five years.

Albanese will meet Trump and Xi as he attends ASEAN, APEC and a Quad meeting this week. While he does not expect a meeting with Putin, the prime minister said he would be forthright if they had their first encounter.

“If he’s in a room where I am, I’m sure they will hear my contribution during the ASEAN summit … This is an illegal and an…

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