South China Sea: what does Europe see in the Philippines?
Sweden is eyeing a permanent defence attaché in the Philippines to secure trade lanes against a ‘changed China’ in the Indo-Pacific
Sweden has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing security cooperation with the Philippines, adding to a growing list of European countries seeking defence ties with Manila amid concern over growing Chinese assertiveness in the region.
Analysts say the move reflects a fundamental shift in the regional power balance, marked by a “changed China” and the practical necessity for Europe to secure vital trade routes in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
The latest diplomatic push came after Lieutenant Colonel Anders Ingenar Nikanorsson, Sweden’s non-resident defence attaché, reportedly paid a courtesy call to Philippine air force leaders on Tuesday.
The Philippine Air Force said on Wednesday that Nikanorsson “conveyed Sweden’s interest in establishing a permanent defence attaché in the Philippines”.
Nikanorsson’s visit came just a month after Manila’s Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro met Johan Berggren, Sweden’s state secretary to its civil defence minister, on the sidelines of the Seoul Defence Dialogue in South Korea.
The two countries reaffirmed their defence partnership, building upon a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in 2023, as European nations increase security cooperation in a bid to expand their presence across the Indo-Pacific region.