Australia to ink Philippines defence pact before Quad meeting with Donald Trump

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The Philippines will become the latest nation to sign a defence pact with Australia on Sunday, as the Prime Minister prepares to welcome US President Donald Trump back to the…

The Philippines will become the latest nation to sign a defence pact with Australia on Sunday, as the Prime Minister prepares to welcome US President Donald Trump back to the world stage after a chastening midterm election result.

Anthony Albanese touched down in Manila on Saturday afternoon following his attendance at the COP31 climate summit co-hosted by Türkiye, and will visit Australian troops currently docked in Manila on HMAS Stalwart on Sunday.

It's understood the agreement between Canberra and the government of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr will include enhanced maritime awareness, information-sharing, and interoperability between fleets.

Australia’s relationship with the Philippines has deepened over the last decade, after the government led by then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull welcomed Manila’s victory in a 2016 legal battle over the disputed Scarborough shoal with China.

The Marcos government in 2022, elected just weeks after the Albanese government came to power, has looked to improve the country’s maritime and military capability, with a strategic partnership established between the two countries in 2023.

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“We've got our surveillance aircraft flying out of Philippines bases, and we need that access, it's a really important thing for us,” Ian Hall, a professor of international relations at Griffith University, told SBS News.

Over the last three years, Australia has taken part in 12 joint patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea to enforce the nation’s maritime interests in the disputed region, with four in the last year.

The most recent mission took place in August, with Australia contributing HMAS Supply, an MH-60R Seahawk chopper and a RAAF P-8A surveillance aircraft.

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