The Philippines and Australia reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in a joint statement released after the third Australia-Philippines Defence Ministers' Meeting in Darwin, Australia, Friday, August 7. Both sides agreed to deepen bilateral defense cooperation, strengthening security partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, jointly upholding international law, and ensuring that all countries can freely exercise their rights.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles expressed serious concern about the South China Sea, specifically naming the "destructive and dangerous" actions taken by Chinese vessels against Philippine ships. These included recent incidents of Chinese coast guard vessels injuring Philippine naval personnel at Second Thomas Shoal (known in Taiwan as Ren’ai Reef), as well as the use of water cannons and ramming tactics. Both countries called on all military and maritime forces to maintain professional and safe operations.

The joint statement also noted that 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the South China Sea arbitration ruling. Both countries reaffirmed that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is the comprehensive legal framework governing maritime activities, emphasizing that freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as other legitimate uses of the sea in accordance with international law, should be guaranteed.