The Philippines found an ally from the other side of the globe after Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė criticized China’s aggressive actions against Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), saying that small countries should work together to stand up against aggressors, no matter how big of a country they are.

The European official signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on defense cooperation with Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Monday, June 30, as part of her four-day working visit to Manila.

The elevated partnership was prompted by a cooperation among “authoritarian states” which, Šakalienė said, threatens democracy in the current world.

“When we hear what China is saying about Taiwan Strait, about other states around it, neighbors that it should have nice relationship with, but we see these horrifying materials, videos, how we are threatening [Filipino] fishermen, how we are treating people who are simply making their living in their own waters, in their own territory, then I think it’s very clear, if they work together to threaten us, then we must work together to defend ourselves,” she said.

China, for years, has subjected Philippine vessels to aggressive actions such as the use of water cannon and military-grade lasers among others. Chinese vessels also chase Filipino fishermen away from their traditional fishing grounds within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

For Šakalienė, Lithuania and the Philippines should “send a very clear strategic message [that] we are not going to let ourselves be scared, we are not going to let them enter our territory, we are not going to let them change the current world order based on international rules.”

“We are going to stand up to them together,” she said in a message of protest against authoritarianism.

Such cooperation among authoritarian states was evident during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Lithuaninan defense minister said.

“What we see now is that authoritarian states are really cooperating very efficiently, both supporting each other politically, financially, militarily, and we see one of the worst results in their cooperation in Ukraine where Russia, working together with Iran, North Korea, and China is annihilating a free and independent country in Europe,” she said.

Šakalienė’s firm stance against authoritarianism stemmed from Lithuania’s historical experiences. During World War II, Lithuania experienced two occupations, first by the Soviet Union and then by Nazi Germany, lasting from 1940 to 1990.

“Democracy is already a minority in the current world and we do not have a luxury to allow it to be annihilated,” she stressed.

The MoU on defense cooperation between the Philippines and Lithuania provides a concrete framework for possible defense cooperation of the two countries’ defense establishments, particularly in the field of cybersecurity, defense industry, munitions production cooperation, addressing hybrid threats, and maritime security.

“The small nations, as our President [Marcos] has always said, need a firm voice in international affairs and we both resist the nomenclature that we are mere agents of other large powers when our people bear the brunt of standing up for our own national interests and our own futures as we decide it,” Teodoro said.