French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel announced on Thursday, Jan. 23, that the French Aircraft Carrier Group, FS Charles De Gaulle, will visit the Philippines in a “month from now” and will also hold bilateral exercises with the United States in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

In her opening remarks at the Stratbase ADR Institute’s panel discussion on maritime cooperation, the French envoy said that the visit of the French carrier aircraft group will be the first time since the announcement of the Indo-Pacific strategy.

The strategy, she underscored, “promotes dialogue and consensus building providing a framework for the resolution of this dispute.”

While not naming China, the Philippines, along with several Western countries, have expressed their concern over the rising tensions in the disputed West Philippine Sea because of China’s aggressive claims.

“The 2025 deployment of Charles de Gaulle has been planned in line with this partnership-oriented approach encompassing both long standing and more recent collaborations. This development revolves around key milestones,” she added.

Fontanel also revealed that the bilateral exercise called “Pacific Steller” will be between France and the United States and will be conducted “most likely” in the EEZ and not in the Philippines’ territorial sea.

She refused, however, to give more details of the program because it is still “a work in progress.”

Called “La Perouse,” the biennial exercise has already begun this week across three critical maritime passages in Southeast Asia. This will mark the first time that Southeast Asian nations, including the navies of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, will participate in the exercises.

“(The Philippines) will be invited to accompany, I guess, but that remains to be settled. That’s not confirmed yet,” the French ambassador told reporters.

Fontanel further emphasized that the visit “underscores France’s commitment to strengthening” its partnership with the Philippines “that will facilitate numerous joint activities with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).”

“As you see, France seeks to strengthen its partnership with the Philippines but also to engage and collaborate with the existing Philippine partners,” she added.

In a news article posted on the US Naval Institute website, it said that the French Carrier Strike Group, consisting of Charles De Gaulle, will hold the Exercise Pacific Steller in the Philippine Sea together with the US, Australian, Canadian, and Japanese forces.

Stratbase ADR Institute’s “Blue Talks” aims to explore the various areas of maritime security and identify areas where cooperation between the Philippines and France is needed.

It also provides an overview of the current challenges, including the West Philippine Sea issue, faced by the Philippines in its maritime sector.