President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. PCO/Handout photo

VIENTIANE — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday thanked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his country’s assistance in the Philippines’ capacity building efforts in the South China Sea.

Marcos Jr. and Trudeau met in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, where both leaders recognized efforts to forge closer ties between the two countries.

“We are very grateful, of course, for Canada’s continuing support in terms of the upholding of the rule of law,” Marcos Jr. told his Canadian counterpart.

“Not only in terms of expressions of support but also in terms of actual capacity building and making the Canada's presence felt in the Indo-pacific region, most specifically in South China Sea,” he said.

Canada was among the countries that participated in joint air and naval exercises in the West Philippine Sea, along with the Philippines, Australia and the United States.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro earlier said that Manila and Ottawa are in the process of rafting a reciprocal military agreement to accommodate each other’s troops during interoperability missions and exercises.

“I think I’m safe in saying that the relationship between the Canada and the Philippines has not been closer in our entire history,” Marcos Jr. said.

“That has become because certainly it started with the people-to-people exchanges and has grown into much more than that,” he said.

“We look forward to your continuing support and your endorsement of our position in the G7 when you take the chair of G7,” he said.

Earlier this year, the Group of 7 (G7) slammed China for its “increasing use” of water canons and other dangerous actions in the South China Sea after Beijing’s repeated aggression in waters that fall within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

“We continue opposing China’s dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia in the South China Sea and its repeated obstruction of countries’ high seas freedom of navigation,” the group said in a statement released in June.

Meantime, Trudeau also acknowledged that relations between the Philippines and Canada have been “working very much on regional security and safety as well, from fishing to military concerns.”

“Kind of things stepping up, and we are happy to do it together in so many different ways. Lots to do,” he said.

Manila and Canberra will also be “talking about Free Trade Agreements and other things that are gonna bring us even closer together,” the Canadian leader said.