Last week, Henning Glaser, Director of CPG, visited Manila upon invitation from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s Philippines Office to participate in the first Germany-Philippines Strategy Dialogue, emphasizing Indo-Pacific security. The strategy dialogue, which was co-hosted by the Foundation for the National Interest, was chaired by General (ret.) Emmanuel Bautista, former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Marie Schroeter, head of the FES in Manila.

Additionally, Henning Glaser gave the impulse statement to a roundtable discussion titled “The Asianization of Regional Security Dynamics in the Indo-Pacific,” hosted by the National Security Council/the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency of the Philippines and later also presented a lecture on “The Future of Human Rights and Rule of Law in Asia-Pacific Security Dynamics” at a conference at Ateneo School of Government at Ateneo de Manila University.

The visit also included a reception aboard the German combat support ship FGS Frankfurt am Main, facilitated by the German Ambassador to the Philippines, Dr. Andreas Pfaffernoschke, and Rear Admiral Axel Schulz, Commander of the German Navy Task Force Group 550.01 to mark the port call of the German frigate FGS Baden-Württemberg and the combat support ship FGS Frankfurt am Main in Manila, signifying an enhancement in defense cooperation between Germany and the Philippines. Rounding off the visit was a dinner hosted by the FES for Permanent Secretary of Defense Nils Hilmer of the German Ministry of Defense.

The German Navy’s port call and the Germany-Philippines Strategy Dialogue occurred against the background of a series of high-profile visits, including those by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in Manila, alongside Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s visit to Berlin, underscoring the deepening bilateral relations focused on strategic security.