Coast guard vessels of the Philippines and the US on Tuesday for the first time took part in joint maritime exercises with naval and air force units in the contested South China Sea, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said yesterday.
The exercises, held in waters off Palawan and Occidental Mindoro, involved the Philippine Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, alongside the US Coast Guard Cutter Stratton and a US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
The “maritime cooperative activity” (MCA), which was the second for the year and sixth overall since the allies launched the joint activities in 2023, included communication drills and search-and-rescue scenarios, the military said in a statement.
Photo: Philippine Coast Guard via AP
“Joint activities like the MCA reaffirm the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ commitment to modernizing its capabilities and strengthening defense partnerships to secure our national and regional maritime interests,” Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner said.
Relations between the Philippines and China have been strained by disputes over sovereignty in the South China Sea, a conduit for more than US$3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce. Taiwan also has claims in the region.
China claims most of the strategic waterway, despite a 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal that found Beijing’s claims have no basis under international law. China does not recognize the decision.
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