France has renewed its commitment to help protect freedom of navigation and overflight in the Asia-Pacific region.
CLARK, Philippines — France renewed its commitment to help protect freedom of navigation and overflight in the Asia-Pacific on Sunday and said its supersonic fighter jets – a pair of which landed in the Philippines for the first time – will further advance military power. Rapid response to any humanitarian or security crisis in the region.
France is also trying to make quick decisions A security agreement This would allow for a larger number of troops to be sent to the Philippines for joint training, said Marie Fontanelle, the French ambassador to Manila.
France has moved on expanding its security measures In the Indo-Pacific region, including the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.
It helps boost his country’s territorial security through a clearance, with an effort by the administration of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Large US military presence It is dealing with China’s increasingly assertive actions in the disputed South China Sea under a 2014 defense pact with the Philippines and by building defense alliances with Asian and Western nations.
The annual French Air Force mission, known as Pegasus, showcases its combat prowess and travels to allies to deepen defense ties – producing Rafale fighter jets and Air Force cargo and transport aircraft.
The French Air Force flew a small group of journalists, including from The Associated Press, aboard an Airbus A400M cargo plane Sunday over Philippine waters facing the South China Sea. But pockets of turbulence prompted the French military to abandon the maneuver for security reasons.
Philippine Air Force personnel will also get a chance to fly on board Rafale jets and familiarize themselves with the aircraft. The fighter jets are a „game changer,” French Air Force Brigadier General Guillaume Thomas, who heads the air force’s mission, told a news conference.
„They enable us to move very quickly, very quickly and react very quickly in the event of a humanitarian crisis or a security crisis,” Thomas said.
The French air force mission was „not designed to target any particular country or any particular situation” and was not aimed at escalating regional tensions, Fontanel said.
France and the Philippines have started Preliminary negotiations on the Status of Forces Agreement It would provide a legal framework and enable troops from each country to conduct exercises on the territory of the other. France has been tasked with completing an initial draft of the agreement by September, which will form the basis of future negotiations, Fontanel said.
Besides France, the Philippines is separately negotiating such agreements with Canada and New Zealand. It signed a similar agreement with Japan earlier this month.
China has strongly criticized such alliance-building and large-scale US military exercises in the Philippines, saying the Philippines is „joining” with countries outside Asia and warning that the military exercises could fuel conflict and undermine regional stability.
Philippine military officials have rejected China’s criticism, saying the exercises and alliances are aimed at boosting Manila’s regional security and do not target any specific country.
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Associated Press reporter Haruka Nuga contributed to this report from Bangkok.