Philippines' eyes defence pacts with France, Canada and NZ, minister says

MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines is looking to forge reciprocal troops access agreements with Canada, France, New Zealand, and other countries, the defence minister said on Monday.

Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told ANC news channel he hoped the agreements could be signed next year.

The agreements would allow greater interoperability, as armed forces of these countries can operate within the Philippine territory and vice-versa, Teodoro said.

"It is close to the apex of a defensive alliance," he said.

The Philippines and Japan signed a landmark military pact earlier this month that allows the deployment of forces on each other's soil in the face of China's increasingly assertive stance in the region.

Canada, France, and New Zealand have expressed support for the Philippines' claims within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea and rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague that its expansive claims had no basis under international law. The case was brought to the court by the Philippines.

(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by John Mair)