00:00Lithuania and the Philippines have signed an agreement on Monday to build a security alliance.
00:07The agreement comes as both countries mutually expressed alarm over growing aggression threatening their regions by countries like China.
00:14The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in the Philippines' capital, Manila, between Defense Ministers Dovila Shakaliana and Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
00:22The pact aims to foster cooperation between the two nations, particularly in the fields of cybersecurity and defense industries.
00:30It also covers other areas including the production of munitions and maritime security.
00:36Lithuania's Shakaliana described Vilnius' concern over growing, quote, authoritarian access of Russia, which includes China, North Korea and Iran.
00:45For years, multiple Asian countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have been involved in prolonged territorial standoffs with China.
00:55Beijing has regularly used water cannons in dangerous maneuvers against Filipino vessels and fishermen, accusing them of encroaching in what it calls ancient Chinese territory.
01:05Shakaliana condemned the hostilities in the South China Sea, a key global trade route, calling it an attack on the democratic world.
01:12The agreement with Lithuania was part of Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos' effort to intensify security alliances between Asia and Western countries.
01:21Manila also has a treaty alliance with the United States to boost its maritime defenses.
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