MANILA – The Philippines is seeking reciprocal agreements with Canada, France, New Zealand and other countries over troop access, the defense minister said Monday.

Defence Minister Gilberto Teodoro told ANC news channel he hoped the agreements could be signed next year.

According to Teodoro, the agreements will allow for greater interoperability, as the armed forces of these countries will be able to operate within Philippine territory and vice versa.

“It’s almost the pinnacle of a defensive alliance,” he said.

The Philippines and Japan signed a historic military pact earlier this month that allows for the deployment of troops on each other’s soil as China increasingly asserts itself in the region.

Canada, France and New Zealand have expressed support for the Philippines’ claims within the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea and has rejected a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that its sweeping claims had no basis under international law. The case was brought to the court by the Philippines. REUTERS