UK moves toward visiting forces agreement with Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The United Kingdom has formally conveyed its intent to pursue a visiting forces agreement with the Philippines — the latest defense pact Manila will pursue with a Western ally to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

UK Defense Minister John Healey relayed Britain's proposal through a letter delivered Tuesday, September 16, by Lord Vernon Coaker, Minister of State for Defense, during a meeting with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro at Camp Aguinaldo.

A VFA between the Philippines and the UK would create a legal framework for British troops to visit the country for joint exercises, training and other cooperative activities. 

If finalized, it would make the UK the Philippines' seventh partner under a VFA or similar defense agreements. This adds active pacts with the United States, Australia, and Japan, plus pending ones with New Zealand, Canada, and France.

Next steps. Both sides agreed to begin internal processes ahead of formal negotiations for the proposed agreement, according to a Department of National Defense (DND) press release.

This development, the DND said, "demonstrates the growing convergence between Europe and the Indo-Pacific in upholding the rules-based international order."

The meeting coincided with the port visit of HMS Richmond, which arrived in Manila as part of Operation Highmast, the UK Carrier Strike Group's deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.

Teodoro and the British minister also discussed regional security, such as the current situation in the South China Sea where China has increasingly challenged Philippine sovereignty.

The two officials also explored military educational exchanges and defense industry ties as potential areas for further partnership between the two nations' armed forces.

The two officials previously met at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore in May.