OTTAWA, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Canada will help the Philippines modernize its obsolete defense structure as part of a deal that includes Ottawa guarantees for Manila's purchases of Canadian military and security hardware and expertise.
The total value of the military procurement program wasn't mentioned but it will be implemented within Canada's $12.6 billion defense industry.
The Philippines' threadbare security set-up has come under spotlight as the country grapples with increasingly acrimonious exchanges with China over Beijing's territorial claim on Scarborough Shoal, a group of islands in the South China Sea which Manila says are well within the Philippine's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. The islets are also claimed by Taiwan.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with Philippines President Benigno Aquino in Manila and offered preferential terms for a defense deal that will likely benefit both sides. Canada's defense industry is hoping for more international business to help its recovery.
Read the full story at UPI