France renews its pledge to defend freedom of navigation by demonstrating fighter jets in the Philippines

CLARK, Philippines (AP) — France on Sunday renewed its commitment to help defend freedom of navigation and overflight in the Asia-Pacific region, saying its supersonic fighter jets — two of which landed in the Philippines for the first time — and advanced military power would enable the country to respond rapidly to any humanitarian or security crisis in the region.

France is also working to quickly conclude a defense pact that would make it possible to send a larger number of troops to the Philippines for joint exercises, said French Ambassador in Manila Marie Fontanel.

France has begun to expand its defense commitment in the Indo-Pacific region, including reaching out to the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.

This is in line with efforts by the government of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to strengthen his country's territorial defense. For example, the government is allowing a stronger US military presence in the Philippines under a 2014 defense agreement. It is also forging security alliances with Asian and Western states to counter China's increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed South China Sea.

An annual French Air Force mission called Pegase, which showcases its combat power and travels to friendly countries to deepen defense ties, arrived at Clark Air Base, part of the former U.S. air base north of Manila, over the weekend. On board were two French-built 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 over Philippine waters on the South China Sea on Sunday to demonstrate its vital aerial refueling capability. However, turbulence caused the French military to abort the maneuver for safety reasons.

Philippine Air Force personnel will also have the opportunity to fly aboard the Rafale jets and familiarize themselves with the aircraft. The fighter jets are “groundbreaking,” said Brigadier General Guillaume Thomas of the French Air Force, who led the air force mission, at a press conference.

“They allow us to move very far and very quickly and to respond very quickly in the event of a humanitarian crisis or even a security crisis,” said Thomas. “We can send troops from France to this area in the Pacific in a very short time.”

The French Air Force's mission is “not designed to target any particular country or situation” and is not aimed at escalating regional tensions, Fontanel said.

France and the Philippines have begun preliminary talks on a status of forces agreement that would establish a legal framework and allow troops from both countries to exercise on each other's territory. France has been tasked with completing a first draft of the agreement by September, which will form the basis for future talks, Fontanel said.

In addition to France, the Philippines is also in talks with Canada and New Zealand about such agreements. Earlier this month, it signed a similar pact with Japan.

China has sharply criticized the alliance-building and large-scale US military exercises in the Philippines. The country claims that the Philippines is “aligning” itself with countries outside Asia. China warns that the military exercises could provoke a confrontation and undermine stability in the region.

Philippine military officials rejected China's criticism, saying the exercises and alliances were aimed at strengthening Manila's territorial defense and were not directed against any particular country.

___

Associated Press journalist Haruka Nuga contributed to this report from Bangkok.

Jim Gomez, The Associated Press