MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines and Canada signed a pact on Sunday for their armed forces to train on each other’s soil, boosting defence cooperation to tackle common security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region.

Canada’s first such deal in the region, the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) takes to five the number of accords on troops Manila has concluded with allies, in the face of China’s increasingly assertive regional stance.

The deal broadens the Philippines’ network of security ties while complementing a long-standing alliance with its treaty partner, the United States.

The pact sets up a framework for expanded military and defence cooperation, to improve coordination of operations by both armed forces.

“Underpinning the SOVFA is the foundation on which it is built,”

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