THE visit of the French Navy’s light patrol frigate to the Philippines shows France as a “Pacific power” that is committed to “security” and adherence to the principle of freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia, officials said after the Vendmiaire docked at a port in Manila on Monday.

In his speech, Rear Admiral Denis Bertrand said the freedom of navigation was based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), saying that not only does this apply to Southeast Asian nations but worldwide.

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