Canada, Philippines elevate ties to strategic partnership | ABS-CBN News

Canada and the Philippines agreed on Thursday (July 2) to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, deepening cooperation on defence, trade and regional security, according to a joint statement released by the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney said the partnership comes at "a pivotal moment" as global alliances are being tested, adding that Canada was strengthening ties with Southeast Asia and making progress toward concluding a Canada-Philippines free trade agreement this year. He said the deal could form the foundation of the new strategic partnership and help triple bilateral trade by 2035. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the two countries had instructed their foreign ministers to develop an action plan for the partnership, with defence and security cooperation as a key pillar. He also welcomed Canada's growing engagement in the Indo-Pacific. Marcos thanked Canada for its "vocal and consistent support" for the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling, which he said was final and legally binding, as the two leaders reaffirmed support for a rules-based order under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. For more ABS-CBN News videos, click the link below:    • ABS-CBN News   For more Breaking News & Live Coverage videos, click the link below:    • Breaking News & Live Coverage   For more latest news and analysis from ABS-CBN News videos, click the link below:    • The latest news and analysis from ABS-CBN ...   For more News Digital News Raw Cuts, click the link below:    • Playlist   Subscribe to the ABS-CBN News channel! - http://bit.ly/TheABSCBNNews Watch full episodes on iWantTFC for FREE here: http://iwanttfc.com Visit our website at http://news.abs-cbn.com Facebook:   / abscbnnews   Twitter:   / abscbnnews   Instagram:   / abscbnnews   #PhilippinesCanada #BBM #ABSCBNNews