Beijing and Paris agree to deepen cooperation
Deal comes as France joins drills with US and Philippines in disputed part of South China Sea
The armed forces of China and France have set up a new intertheatre cooperation and dialogue mechanism, as tensions continue to rise in the South China Sea.
Collaboration between the two militaries’ naval and air forces would help to further deepen mutual trust and cooperation, and jointly safeguard regional security and stability, China’s defence ministry said in a statement on Friday.
General Wang Xiubin, commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command, and French Rear Admiral Geoffroy d’Andigne, commander of the Pacific Ocean and French Polynesian maritime zones, signed the agreement on Thursday, the ministry statement said. The Southern Theatre Command is the PLA arm that oversees the South China Sea.
The signing came as the rear admiral visited the Southern Theatre Command, where he also exchanged views with Wang on issues including “international and regional security situation”, the statement said.
According to the Southern Theatre Command, the French delegation visited its naval and air forces during their visit from Wednesday to Friday.
The signing of the cooperation agreement follows a consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron during his visit to China last year, when they agreed to deepen military communication and strengthen understanding on security issues.
The move towards forging closer Sino-French military ties comes amid increasing confrontations between China and the Philippines over maritime rights in the South China Sea.
It also comes as France takes part for the first time in the Balikatan exercises, annual US-Philippine naval drills running from tomorrow until May 10. In another first, the exercise will extend beyond the Philippines’ territorial seas, into South China Sea waters also claimed by Beijing.
Philippine, US and French naval ships involved in the drills sailed from Palawan on Thursday to the exercise area in the West Philippine Sea, the state-run Philippine News Agency reported.
Manila has accused the Chinese coastguard of ramming and firing water cannons at Philippine vessels on supply missions to a military outpost on the Second Thomas Shoal. The shoal, called Renai Jiao in Chinese, is controlled by Manila. It is part of the Spratly Islands chain claimed by both countries and called Nansha by China.
France and the Philippines would begin talks next month on a defence pact that would allow their troops to hold exercises in each other’s territory, French ambassador to Manila Marie Fontanel said on Thursday.
France has territories in the Pacific and Indian Ocean, and attaches great importance to security in the region. It has 1.6 million citizens living in French overseas territories including in French Polynesia.