France and the Philippines seal an agreement to oversee joint military exercises

In Paris on Thursday, the handshake carried significant weight. France and the Philippines signed an agreement designed to regulate the temporary presence of visiting military personnel and pave the way for joint military exercises on the territory of both countries. Manila hailed it as a first with a European state. The document, however, still needs to be ratified by the French and Philippine parliaments.

Behind the legal formalities lies a very concrete mechanism: facilitating the deployment of troops, clarifying the rules, and establishing a framework for joint training without improvisation. The Philippine Department of Defense intends to make this a benchmark document for expanding cooperation between armed forces, both in France and the Philippines. This is a further step in a defense relationship already strengthened by an agreement concluded in 2016, at a time when the Indo-Pacific region has become a permanent training ground for many navies.

Manila has been seeking support in recent months. The country has forged numerous military partnerships and signed similar agreements with Japan, Canada, and New Zealand. In this strategy, bringing France into the picture is far from insignificant: as a Pacific power through its territories, Paris maintains a military presence in the region and employs a diplomatic corps that often rightly emphasizes its commitment to freedom of navigation and international law.

A signal sent to the heart of the Indo-Pacific

The timing, however, is no illusion. The agreement comes as tensions rise in the South China Sea, where the Philippines disputes Beijing's claims. China claims almost the entire sea despite a ruling by an international tribunal that deemed these claims without legal basis, and just hours before the signing, the Philippine military accused Beijing of "dangerous maneuvers" in the area. In this kind of standoff, agreements signed thousands of kilometers away sometimes carry more weight than one might think.

Franco-Philippine cooperation did not emerge from nowhere. The French navy has already participated in exercises in the South China Sea with Philippine and American units, and the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle made its first port call in Subic Bay in February 2025. These are powerful images, almost like military postcards, which say one simple thing: France wants to be a significant player in the region, without fanfare but without hiding.

Then comes the more down-to-earth next step. Ratifications, exercise schedules, chosen formats—all of this will shape the true nature of the agreement, measured in days at sea, common procedures, and accumulated trust. At a time when power dynamics are hardening in the Indo-Pacific, Paris and Manila seem to be betting on rules and training, a way of maintaining their position without raising their voices, while waiting for the next incident that will force each side to take a stand.