Brawner: Chinese vessel shadowed PH-US joint patrol in WPS

A Chinese vessel shadowed ships of the Philippines and the United States conducting a joint maritime patrol in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on Thursday morning, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said.

“There was shadowing. So we monitored a Chinese vessel shadowing the  joint maritime patrol but there are no aggressive actions by China and I hope that this continues,” Brawner told reporters.

According to the AFP chief, three ships—two Filipino and one US—were sailing together 30 nautical miles off the Malampaya gas field facility in northern Palawan when they spotted another vessel at 10:15 a.m. 

They observed a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessel that appeared to be shadowing them from a distance of 6.5 nautical miles.

For Brawner, the joint PH-US patrols are not meant to provoke Chinese forces present in the disputed region. 

“It is not meant to agitate China,” Brawner said.

“Iyon lang ang talagang objective natin [Our only objective] is to make sure that we have interoperability with our ally, the US, and also to impose that objective of making sure that we promote the rules based international order,” he maintained.

Military units of the Philippines and the US held their joint maritime and air patrol in the West Philippine Sea from November 21, Tuesday, to November 23, Thursday.

According to Brawner, the Philippine-US joint patrols were “successful.”

“So far, we believe that the joint maritime and air patrol between the Philippines and the US have been very successful in the sense that there are no untoward incidents,” he said.

“We were able to achieve the objectives that we have set forth for this joint maritime and air patrols. So we saw how we could operate closely with our allies, the US,” he added.

The joint maritime and air patrols began off the Batanes islands and headed west towards the South China Sea.

The Philippines deployed three Navy vessels, two FA-50PH Golden Eagle light combat aircraft, and an A-29B Super Tucano light attack plane. US participation came in the form of a US Navy littoral combat ship, as well as a P-9A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.

'Foreign forces'

China, meanwhile, said the Philippines enlisted "foreign forces" to patrol the sea and has been stirring up trouble since Tuesday, in an apparent reference to the US.

The Chinese military will maintain high vigilance, resolutely defend national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and resolutely safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, the southern theatre command of China's military said on Thursday according to a Reuters report.

"China has made clear its position to the Philippines and the US that the Philippine-US joint patrols must not undermine China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday. —RF/BM, GMA Integrated News