Beyond trade, defense

If there's one concrete benefit we can cite from the country's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit this week, it's the strengthening of our defense cooperation with other countries amid our territorial dispute with China.

           

President Aquino held bilateral meetings and discussed security and defense issues with four leaders, namely US President Barack Obama, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye.

           

In the Philippine-US meeting, Obama raised the issue of the ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea and pointedly said China must stop land reclamation in the disputed South China Sea. He reaffirmed Washington's “rock-solid commitment” to the defense and security of the Philippines, and announced that the US would provide the Philippines with two warships.

           

Australian PM Turnbull, meanwhile, committed to working closely on meaningful activities between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Australian Defence Force “to build trust and confidence and enhance interoperability.” The Australian government recently donated two landing craft vessels to the Philippine Navy.

           

In his meeting with Aquino, Russian Prime Minister Medvedev sought to open areas for military and defense cooperation similar to their existing agreements with adjacent states.

           

For her part, President Park of South Korea sought the participation of Korean firms in the ongoing modernization program of the AFP.

           

Beyond discussions on free trade, the latest Apec meeting, from the Philippine perspective, produced another salutary result: we have strengthened partnerships with other countries so that we can stand on our own two feet in defending our national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

                                                           

Image by www.mb.com.ph