Philippines-France forces accord boosts deterrence amid China pressure

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the proposed Status of Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and France would strengthen the country’s deterrence and strategic resilience amid China’s actions in Philippine waters.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations approved the agreement at the committee level Thursday, paving the way for its endorsement to the plenary for concurrence.

During a public hearing led by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, Teodoro described France as both a European and Pacific power, citing its territories in the region and commitment to freedom of navigation and international law.

“France is not only a European country but it is also a Pacific country because it has territories in the Pacific Ocean, New Caledonia, Tahiti and the others. It is a maritime country too, that’s why its interest in freedom of navigation and other principles enshrined under UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) is also very important and critical to them. They fully support the Arbitral Award that the Philippines won, and they are upholder of UNCLOS,” Teodoro said.

Teodoro also cited France’s participation in multilateral military exercises, support for Philippine defense modernization and capabilities in the maritime, land, air, cyber and intelligence domains.

He said the agreement was part of the Philippines’ effort to build a broader network of partners that could contribute to national deterrence and resilience.

“For the Philippines, we view it as a matter of no choice, because our territories are under severe stress, to put it politely, by the unilateral and illegal acts of China,” Teodoro said.

“Thus, we cannot deny the fact that as many coalition partners we have, it adds to our deterrent posture in this country,” he added.

Teodoro said the Philippines’ partnerships were not limited to military cooperation but also covered industrial, technological and economic development and disaster resilience.

“It was underscored that defense industries are merely an offshoot of basic industrial synergies. Without basic industrial capacity and capabilities, it would be hard to have a sustainable and evolutionary defense industry on a technical level and the higher sustainable level that we need. So our partnership with France is merely an offshoot of the country-to-country partnership,” he said.

Teodoro also highlighted France’s support for the rules-based international order, the United Nations Charter and UNCLOS, as well as its strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific.

“We will also look forward to engaging closer with our Pacific Island brothers and sisters because we are a Pacific Island country as well. And all of these efforts, together with the SOVFA with France, will make connectivity and synergy much, much easier and much, much more dynamic for the Philippines on a progressive, forward-looking defense posture,” he said.

The Philippines-France SOVFA was signed by Teodoro and French Armed Forces and Veterans Minister Catherine Vautrin on 26 March 2026.