Earlier this month, Germany and the Philippines agreed to finalize a defense pact by the end of this year.

The agreement, which will enable joint military training and potential sales of German weapons to the Southeast Asian nation, comes at a time of escalating tensions in the South China Sea.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hosted German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in Manila earlier in August, marking the first visit by a German defense chief to the Philippines.

During the visit, both defense leaders expressed a shared commitment to strengthening military cooperation between their countries.

Teodoro announced that the proposed arrangement on defense cooperation is expected to be signed "before the end of the year."

The defense pact is anticipated to encompass joint training exercises, the sale of advanced weaponry and enhanced security-related information sharing.

Moreover, the collaboration is likely to extend to the transfer of military technology, which the Philippines urgently requires to modernize its air force and navy amid growing regional security challenges.

Teodoro highlighted the Philippines' interest in acquiring capabilities in command and control systems, anti-access aerial denial technologies, and other high-tech military equipment, signaling a strategic pivot toward bolstering its defense capabilities.

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Germany's involvement in the Indo-Pacific has been on the rise in recent years. The German navy has conducted several freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, the latest of which departed Germany in May,........

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