The Philippines and Australia yesterday began their first joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea, days after Manila took similar steps with the US as Pacific nations warily eye an increasingly assertive China.
In a joint statement, the Australian and Philippine defense chiefs said the three-day patrols showed their “shared commitment to exercising freedom of navigation and overflight consistent with international law.”
The exercises, announced by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on social media, follow discussions by the Philippines and Australia early this year on joint patrols to underscore what they say is their commitment to a rules-based order.
Photo: AFP
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which about US$3 trillion of trade passes each year, including parts claimed by Taiwan, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China’s claims had no legal basis.
The Philippines is ramping up efforts to counter what it describes as China’s “aggressive activities” in the South China Sea, which is also a flashpoint for Chinese and US tensions around naval operations.
“Australia and the Philippines are firmly committed to [a] peaceful, secure and prosperous region, where sovereignty and agreed rules and norms are respected,” Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said in a joint statement shared by Marcos.
“The first joint patrol between the Australian Defence Force and the Armed Forces of the Philippines demonstrates this commitment,” Marles said.
The patrols would be carried out in the West Philippine Sea, Philippine Department of National Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said, using Manila’s term for waters in the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone.
The Philippine military said two of its navy vessels and five surveillance aircraft would participate, while Australia would send the frigate Toowoomba and P8-A maritime surveillance aircraft.
“This inaugural Maritime Cooperative Activity and those that may follow are a practical manifestation of the growing and deepening strategic and defense partnership between our countries,” Marcos wrote on X.
Additional reporting by AFP
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