ALLY FROM DOWN UNDER Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrives for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Rizal monument in Manila on Friday. He was the first Australian PM to visit the country since 2003. —MALACAÑANG PHOTO President Marcos and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a strategic partnership agreement on Friday expanding cooperation in various fields, including defense and security, in a move seen to counter China's growing regional influence. In a meeting prior to the signing ceremony,Marcos thanked Albanese, the first Australian prime minister to visit the Philippines since 2003, for Canberra's continuing support for Manila in the South China Sea dispute with Beijing.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/219107/ph-australia-firm-up-ties-marcos-hails-albanese-support-in-south-china-sea-row

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