The archipelago nation has secured similar pacts with Japan, Canada and New Zealand over the past two years, as it seeks to counter Beijing's assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea.

The Philippines and China have engaged in frequent clashes in the crucial waterway, which Beijing claims in nearly its entirety despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

The new "status of visiting forces agreement" with France was signed Thursday in Paris, hours after the Philippine military accused China of conducting "dangerous maneuvers" in the contested waterway.

"The SOVFA will serve as the primary document to facilitate a wider range of defense cooperative activities between the Philippine and French armed forces in the territory of either country," Manila's defence department said in a statement.

The French navy has previously taken part in joint drills in the South China Sea alongside Philippine and US vessels, while the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle made its first port visit to Subic Bay in February last year.

The new agreement, which must still be ratified by the countries' legislatures, would allow for greater cooperation with French ground forces, which have previously taken part as observers in the annual US-Philippine Balikatan military exercises.

The Philippine military separately on Thursday accused China of conducting "dangerous maneuvers" that could have resulted in a collision near Pag-asa, a tiny island about 450 kilometres from the coast of Palawan.

"While conducting lawful operations, BRP Benguet encountered the PLAN vessel, which executed an unsafe and unprofessional maneuver by closing in and passing at a dangerously close distance," the Philippines said in a statement.

Video released by the Philippines showed the PLA vessel sailing alongside the BRP Benguet, with fewer than 10 metres separating the two ships.

"That's unsafe. That's provocative," Colonel Nep Padua told AFP Friday.

"They moved, cutting the ship in front of the bow. Normally, you do not do that -- crossing at any angle," he said.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.