By Ling Yunzhi
The Charles de Gaulle CSG of France plans to pay a historic visit to the Philippines.
Recently, the Philippines announced that its coast guard will purchase 40 fast patrol crafts (FPCs) from France, with deliveries scheduled to begin within four years. The deal is the "largest so far single purchase" in Manila's ongoing effort to modernize its coast guard, Philippine coast guard commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan told a news conference. The deal will cost about $440 million, to be funded by the development aid from the French government. A French aircraft carrier is also expected to make a "historic visit" to the Philippines in the near future.
The defense relations between the Philippines and France have been steadily strengthened
Although geographically distant, the Philippines and France have drawn closer in defense cooperation in recent years, with France becoming one of the Philippines' most important European partners. On December 2, 2023, Philippine Department of National Defense (DND)Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. met with French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu in Manila. It was the first official visit by the French Minister of the Armed Forces to the Philippines. Both sides expressed their commitment to deepening defense cooperation, including enhancing intelligence and information sharing, maintaining reciprocal visits by naval ships, and establishing interoperability or strategic alignment between their armed forces as the primary goal of their military collaboration, with a particular focus on strengthening cooperation between their navies and air forces.
A key aspect of the meeting between the Philippine and French defense ministers was the announcement of their agreement to initiate negotiations on a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), pending authorization. This agreement aims to establish a legal framework for deploying defense personnel to each other's territories for training and other operations in the future. The Philippines has already signed Visiting Forces Agreements (VFAs) with the United States, Australia, and Japan. France, for its part, attaches great importance to signing a VFA with the Philippines, viewing it as a prerequisite and requirement for conducting joint patrols with the Philippines.
France's financial assistance to the Philippine Coast Guard and the construction of 40 FPCs are also significant aspects of the recent strengthening of defense cooperation between the two countries. According to the agreement, the first 20 FPCs will be produced by French shipyards, while the remaining 20 will be built by Philippine local shipyards with the assistance of French technical personnel. In addition, France will provide logistical equipment support for six Philippine port bases. It also announced plans to conduct exercises with Philippine naval ships in the South China Sea and participate in the US-Philippines Balikatan (shoulder to shoulder) joint military exercises.
The situation in the South China Sea will become more complicated in the future
Recently, the situation in the South China Sea has drawn significant attention, especially after the Philippines introduced the so-called Maritime Zones Act and Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act. The Philippines seeks to gain more leverage and benefits by soliciting external forces' involvement, which is why it has been actively strengthening military cooperation with countries outside the region. France, aiming to expand its influence, has also turned its attention to the Indo-Pacific region, increasing the deployment of military forces in the region, which coincides with the strategic intentions of the Philippines.
A French nuclear submarine cruises in the Western Pacific.
France has always considered itself an Indo-Pacific nation, with seven overseas territories in the region, including New Caledonia and French Polynesia, and an exclusive economic zone covering nine million square kilometers. As the US continues to shift its strategic focus to the Indo-Pacific region, France does not want to fall behind the US in global affairs and is unwilling to miss the opportunity to assert its presence in the region. As a result, it views the South China Sea as a key area for demonstrating its influence.
Although France does not frequently raise its profile in the South China Sea as loudly as the US or the Philippines, it has long been engaged in activities in the region. For example, France dispatched the Rubis-class nuclear-powered submarine(SSN) FS Emeraude (S604) and Loire-class tender and support vessel FS Seine (A604) to patrol in the South China Sea and conduct joint exercises with the United States, Japan, and Australia in 2021. According to the French Navy, its only active aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle will lead a strike group of eight ships on a long-range Indo-Pacific voyage this month. During this journey, the strike group may conduct joint exercises with so-called regional partners including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom, and may also make a historic visit to the Philippines.
In addition, France has included the South China Sea region in its navy's routine patrol list. France hopes to maintain its interests in the Indian Ocean territories and strengthen partnerships with regional countries such as Japan, India, and Australia by demonstrating a long-term military presence in the South China Sea, thus maximizing its military and security interests in the region.
Editor's note: Originally published on thepaper.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
