The Philippines and Australia plan to sign a new pact to develop the Southeast Asian nation's military infrastructure, their defense chiefs said, as they seek to counter China's "unilateral activities" in the region.

The Philippine defense chief condemned China’s deployment of a swarm of armed coast guard forces, backed by a helicopter and a drone, closer to the Philippines’ military outpost in a fiercely disputed atoll in the South China Sea.

The Philippine defense chief condemned China's deployment of a swarm of armed coast guard forces, backed by a helicopter and a drone, closer to the Philippines' military outpost in a fiercely disputed atoll in the South China Sea.

The Philippine and Australian governments have reaffirmed their defense cooperation during the Philippines–Australia Defense Ministers’ Meeting on August 22, 2025 held in Manila.

Agreement to include commitment to holding annual defense ministers meetings, more coordinating exercise, says Australian defense minister - Anadolu Ajansı

The latest flare-up in the long-seething territorial disputes around the Second Thomas Shoal came up in closed-door talks between Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and his visiting Australian counterpart,