Australia Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles (left) and Philippine Secretary of Defense Carlito Galvez Jr attend a joint press conference at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon city on Feb 22, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

MANILA - The Philippines and Australia on Wednesday discussed pursuing joint patrols in the South China Sea, days after the Southeast Asian country held similar talks with the United States.

The possibility of the Philippines and Australia holding joint patrols comes on the heels of similar discussions between Manila and Washington about conducting joint coast guard patrols, including in the South China Sea

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles met with his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez, in Manila, something they said they plan to do yearly in a bid to deepen the countries' security ties.

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"We did talk today about the possibility of exploring joint patrols and we will continue that work and we hope that comes to fruition soon," Marles said at a joint news conference with Galvez after the meeting.

"As countries which are committed to the global rules-based order, it is natural that we should think about ways in which we can cooperate in this respect."

The possibility of the Philippines and Australia holding joint patrols comes on the heels of similar discussions between Manila and Washington about conducting joint coast guard patrols, including in the South China Sea.

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Military ties between Australia and the Philippines date back to 1922, and the two nations have an existing Status of Visiting Forces Agreement that provides a comprehensive legal and operational framework for defence cooperation.

Ahead of his meeting with Marles, Galvez had a call with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin where they discussed the decision to resume their countries' combined maritime activities in the South China Sea, according to a Pentagon statement released on Tuesday.