The Philippines and Australia further strengthened their strategic ties by signing three memoranda of understanding, or MoU, on maritime and technology cooperation and stronger competition rules.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese witnessed the signing of the agreements in Canberra, Australia on Thursday.

The MoU on improved maritime cooperation will have the two nations advancing their shared objectives for the region, including fostering respect for international law, civil maritime security, marine environment protection, and maritime domain awareness.

In a press conference, Marcos said defense and security would continue to be important areas of collaboration between the two strategic partners.

“We look forward to amplifying our joint activities and capacity-building efforts in this regard,” he said.

Prime Minister Albanese said the Philippines and Australia will carry on with their maritime cooperative operations as partners dedicated to maintaining peace and security in the region.

Albanese said both nations also inked an MoU to enhance collaboration on cyber and other critical technologies.

“We’ll work together to promote the open and secure use of cyberspace through a new MoU that we have signed today,” Albanese said.

The Philippines and Australia also signed an MoU to further cooperate on competition law and policy.

Given the pressures the people in the Philippines and Australia are under due to the rising cost of living, Albanese remarked that competitiveness is a “highly relevant issue.”

Marcos said the three agreements would improve cyberspace and vital technology, competition legislation, marine domain and environment information sharing, capability building, and interoperability among pertinent government entities.

“The three agreements add to the more than 120 agreements that our two countries have signed through the decades,” Marcos said, noting that the two countries have agreements on defense cooperation, air services, education, research, scientific and cultural cooperation, among others.

“The Prime Minister and I both agreed to continue to look for ways to explore every option possible to bring our countries closer than ever, and collectively with optimism and a hopeful outlook to be a force for good, unity, stability, and prosperity in our region,” he said.