PH, France leverage shared maritime identity

The French Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle will be making its first visit to the Philippines in the last week of February. Beyond symbolism, this historic visit by the French aircraft carrier clearly reflects the exponential growth in the maritime security partnership between Manila and Paris in the last two years.

While the Philippines and France are natural partners, given their adherence to democratic principles, their support for the rules-based order, and their membership within the extended alliance network of the United States, bilateral ties have only recently matured with a special emphasis on maritime security. This can be attributed to two interrelated factors. First, under the Presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Manila has demonstrated its willingness to become an active stakeholder in the rules-based order of the Indo-Paific. 

As an archipelagic state consistently challenged by China’s expansionist ambitions within its lawful exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the Philippines has harmonized national efforts with external defense partnerships with traditional and non-traditional like-minded nations. In this context, France is emerging as one of the most vital partners of the Philippines.

Second, as a blue water naval power with the world’s second largest EEZ, France prioritizes its maritime security interests in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In addition to protecting its vital sea lines of communication for its economic interests,

France has overseas territories in the Western Indian Ocean and Southern Pacific Regions, home to over 200,000 French nationals. It is, therefore, inevitable for Paris to prioritizestre the rules-based order of the Indo-Pacific, especially when China has been making critical inroads in these regions and increasing its commercial influence in New Caledonia and French Polynesia. 

Recognizing Beijing’s ambitions to dominate both oceans of the Indo-Pacific, French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly highlighted the risks of China’s hegemonic interests and their potential to curtail freedom and democratic principles.

With considerable stakes in keeping the rules-based order intact in the Indo-Pacific, France’s Indo-Pacific strategy centers on positioning itself as an alternative balance to regional states at a time when the US-China power competition continues to polarize regional geopolitics.

France’s subscription to strategic autonomy has ensured its intent to present itself not as an extension of the US camp against China but as an alternative security and development partner that would emphasize building the resilience of partner states amidst structural uncertainties.

In this regard, Paris keeps open engagement channels with Beijing but maintains a pragmatic approach of realpolitik, given its acknowledgment of China’s perilous path to dominance. 

However, while being a major Indo-Pacific player, France’s engagements in the region have been traditionally pronounced in the Western Indian Ocean and the Southern Pacific.

Nevertheless, in France’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, Paris envisions a more constructive role as a stabilizing force in Southeast Asia, particularly its maritime domain.

With a change in government in Manila, the Philippines has been enthusiastic about working with traditional and non-traditional like-minded partners that share a common interest in keeping the South China Sea free, open, and rules based.

Thus, with shared structural concerns and conducive domestic perceptions, the Philippines-France security partnership witnessed considerable growth in depth and scope since 2023.

In December 2023, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and French Minister for the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu signed a Letter of Intent, indicating a shared interest to enhance bilateral security collaboration, including a potential Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA), which would catalyze more interactions and training between the Philippine and French militaries.

To supplement these agreements, both states have bolstered their interoperability and preparedness collaborations at sea. One of the most notable developments in this regard was France’s first-ever participation In the 39th Balikatan in April 2024 – the Balikatan is an annual military exercise between the Philippines and the US.

In addition to focusing on traditional security, France has taken the initiative to spearhead cooperation for protecting marine biodiversity and improving coordination to address non-traditional maritime security threats.

In June 2024, the French Embassy in Manila launched the “Blue Nations” initiative to enhance the collaboration between both maritime states with growing stakes in securing their vast marine resources and ecosystems amid shared risks ranging from climate change to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and other artificial activities.

Further, France has also positioned itself as an emerging capacity builder for the Philippines’ maritime security objectives. In November 2024, Marcos Jr. confirmed that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) would receive 40 fast patrol vessels from France, making it the largest single purchase for PCG’s modernization program.

These acquisitions would allow the Philippines to increase patrols deep into its EEZ and lessen the gaps between deployments. More importantly, out of the 40 vessels provided, 20 will be assembled in the Philippines. This is a crucial step in enhancing the Philippines’ manufacturing skillset, coinciding with Marcos Jr’s signing of the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) Revitalization Act in October 2024.

This aims to improve the Southeast Asian state’s national defense industry and make it less dependent on imports.

This adds more opportunities for the strengthening of the French-Philippines maritime security partnership.

France has a positive track record in supporting the self-reliant defense interests of its partners across the Indo-Pacific – spanning India to Indonesia.

As a major defense producer equally generous in technology transfers to like-minded partners, the Philippines can benefit from a similar cooperation model. Therefore, given the tumultuous and uncertain nature of Indo-Pacific geopolitics, it would be practical and crucial for the Philippines to continue investing in its security partnership with France. 

(Don McLain Gill is a Manila-based geopolitical analyst, author, and lecturer at the Department of International Studies, De La Salle University.)