Oz, Philippines strengthen ties amid sea dispute

Manila, September 8

Australia and the Philippines elevated their seven-decade ties to a strategic level on Friday to broaden an alliance underpinned by their rejection of China’s increasingly provocative actions in the disputed South China Sea.

Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Philippine Ferdinand Marcos signed the pact upgrading their ties in Manila. They also agreed to hold an annual meeting of their defence chiefs. Aside from an aim to further boost trade and economic engagement, Albanese said their countries “have common views about the need to uphold international law, and Australia’s position on that will continue to be consistent, as we have always been, including recently over issues relating to the South China Sea.”

China and the Philippines, along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei, have been locked in a territorial standoff in the disputed waterway. It’s a key passageway for global trade and is regarded as an Asian flashpoint. — Agencies