France Seeks Exploration Rights in Seas around Philippines, Offers Submarines in Return

France has reportedly offered the Philippines two diesel-electric submarines in exchange for permission to explore the Southeast Asian nation’s “sovereign waters.”

The submarines will be based on the design and standard of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as per multiple reports published Tuesday.

“The offer wasn’t as easy as it looked because the Philippines and France have no mutual defense agreement. It has to go through a constitutional process. We cannot just do that,” Philippines Defense Officer-in-Charge Jose Faustino Jr. was quoted as saying by state-controlled Philippine News Agency (PNA) during a visit to Mati City in southern Davao Oriental province on Friday.

The Philippines shares maritime borders with China in the hotly contested South China Sea. Beijing claims most of the sea as its own, but the U.S and surrounding countries, including Manila, disagree. Washington and its allies regularly deploy their warships and air force in the region under the notion of "freedom of navigation."

In 2016, the Philippines won a case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which invalidated China's claims over the sea.

Besides France, the Southeast Asian nation has received offers from South Korea, and Japan, among others to build the two vessels.

Manila adopted the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) Modernization Act in 1995, aiming to shore up defense against external threats. It was amended in 2012 to extend the program for 15 more years.

The two submarines will be acquired under the third phase of the extended modernization program that ends in 2028. Manila has already made a down payment to Seoul to procure six offshore vessels.