Philippines, USA, Japan plus Australia Strengthen Maritime Power to Counter China

Philippines Offers Strategic Partnership with Australia

President Benigno S. Aquino III disclosed on Monday that the Philippines wants Australia to be its third strategic partner after the United States and Japan.

The President sought closer bilateral cooperation between the two countries, citing the shared values and principles of the two nations.

"We're offering Australia actually a strategic partnership. We only have two strategic partnerships -- one in the United States of America and the other with Japan. We're offering the third to Australia and they are presently studying it," the President told the foreign media at the historic landmark Manila Hotel.

Pending the approval of the partnership agreement, the President said Australia has started to help the Philippines with the coast watch system.

"There are various trainings being conducted by their military security forces with our own personnel in the form of scholarships or they're meeting with various institutions," he said.

The President is scheduled to make a state visit to Australia on Oct. 24 to 26 to strengthen economic, defense, and development cooperation. Prior to his Australian tour, the President will travel to New Zealand on Oct. 22 to 23 for meetings with government and business leaders.

The President also cited the friendly ties between Manila and Canberra, saying "we share the same values, we're both democracies."

"We have been normally on the same side of issues that have confronted our respective peoples since at least World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War. We face the same challenges be it terrorism, global climate change, relationships with the superpower in the neighborhood," he said.

"So all of these lend to shared values, in a sense, shared background and therefore it promotes closer cooperation between our peoples," he added.

Earlier yesterday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced that President Aquino has decided to take the trips upon the invitation of New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

In New Zealand, the President's visit aims to deepen and strengthen relations in terms of political, defense, economic and development cooperation and people-to-people relations.

The President will first proceed to Auckland where he will meet with the Filipino community there. Currently numbering at around 36,000, Filipinos comprise 1 percent of the total population of New Zealand.

He is also slated to deliver a speech in a business forum to be attended by the Philippines New Zealand Business Council and the New Zealand Philippines Business Council.

Aquino is also expected to have one-on-one meetings with some New Zealand corporations.

From Auckland, Aquino will proceed to Wellington, the country's capital, to meet with Prime Minister Key and Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae.

The President will exchange views on regional and international developments of mutual concern with the two leaders, as well as share updates on national developments, including the conclusion of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

In Australia, the Chief Executive will first fly to Canberra where he will meet with Prime Minister Gillard and Governor-General Quentin Bryce.

The leaders are expected to update each other on national developments, including the signing of the GPH-MILF Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

The DFA said discussions will likewise focus on cooperation in the political, economic, defense, and development fields, and on the future direction of Philippine-Australian bilateral relations. At the same time, regional and international issues will also be taken up.

From Canberra, the President will proceed to Sydney where he is scheduled to deliver his keynote address at the Philippines-Australia Business Forum.

He will also meet with top CEOs in a roundtable setting and have one-on-one meetings with several Australian companies.

President Aquino will again deliver another address to The Asia Society of Australia and the Australia Philippine Business Council.

While in Sydney, President Aquino will unveil a statue of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal in Campbelltown.

He will also meet and interact with the members of the Filipino Community in Australia where he is expected to encourage them to help raise the profile of the Philippines by being knowledgeable and competent sources of information on their home country, be it on history and culture, business, and tourism, among others.

The Philippines is among the top 10 source countries for recent migrant arrivals in Australia where there are about 224,000 Filipinos.

During the State Visits, President Aquino will be accompanied by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario, Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory L. Domingo, Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin, and other Cabinet Secretaries who will also be meeting with their counterparts.

Manila Bulletin