The Philippines and Australia sided with China with a joint defense agreement.
The Philippines, which has been in dispute with Beijing for years over parts of the South China Sea, is trying to expand its military capabilities against China and strengthen its position in East Asia by signing a new defense pact with Australia.
According to Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, this defense agreement will provide a basis for closer cooperation between the naval, air and land forces of the two countries, as well as create the conditions for humanitarian cooperation in times of crisis and natural disasters. The Philippines emphasized that this treaty would strengthen the level of "deterrence" of this country.