(Bloomberg) -- The Philippines and France agreed to initiate talks for a defense agreement that would allow troop visits, as the Southeast Asian nation seeks to strengthen military ties amid tension in the South China Sea.

Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro and French Minister for the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu agreed to consider a status of visiting forces agreement to enhance defense and military activities in a meeting in Manila on Saturday, according to an emailed statement from the Philippine defense department.

The Philippines is stepping up efforts to boost defense ties, including with the US, in the face of Chinses assertions of territorial claims in the South China Sea. The Philippines is also in talks with Japan for a similar deal, which provides a legal framework for allowing the presence of foreign troops during joint military exercises.

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Author: Karl Lester M. Yap