Chinese ships spotted during WPS cooperative activity -AFP

Two Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships were seen during the Philippines, United States, Japan, and Australia multinational maritime cooperative activity in the West Philippine Sea, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Monday.

“While they were doing the exercise, we noticed the presence of two PLA navy ships in the distance,” AFP chief Romeo Brawner Jr. told reporters.

“Pero wala naman pong ginawa itong mga navy ships na ito para i-block or hadlangan yung ginagawa nating mga exercises,” he added.

(But these navy ships did not block or hinder our exercises.)

According to Brawner, China’s warships were six nautical miles away, near Busuanga, Palawan.

China earlier said that its PLA Southern Theater Command also organized naval and air combat patrols in the South China Sea.

However, Brawner said Philippine authorities did not see any Chinese activities in the area.

“Wala naman pong ganung nangyari (Nothing like that happened),” Brawner said,

“So we are saying that while we were conducting our own exercises in the WPS, we only monitored the presence of two PLA navy ships at wala namang ginawang mga combat patrol or mga exercises (and we have not monitored such patrols or exercises),” he added.

Department of National Defense (DND) spokesperson Arsenio Andolong identified the Chinese ships as PLAN 792 and 162. But, he said he has no information on what type of ships they are.

“According to reports they did not interfere with the activity, they were there, probably, I can only surmise, observing from a distance as this is a freedom of navigation activity,” Andolong told reporters.

“We assume that they are also performing freedom of navigation on their waters. But, as the exercise transpired, it went on smoothly, there was no interference,” he added.

The multinational maritime cooperative activity included units from the Australian Defense Force (ADF), the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), and the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM).

Communication exercises and division tactics were conducted during the activity.

Units that participated in the activity included the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar with an AW109 helicopter, BRP Antonio Luna with an AW159 Wildcat ASW helicopter, and BRP Valentin Diaz from the Philippine Navy.

Also included were the USS Mobile and a P-8A Poseidon from the United States Navy, the Royal Australian Navy HMAS Warramunga and Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, and the JS Akebono from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces.

“The MMCA demonstrated the participating countries’ commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific through interoperability exercises in the maritime domain. It will also contribute greatly to the AFP's capability development,” the AFP said.

“These activities were designed to enhance the different forces’ abilities to work together effectively in maritime scenarios,” it added. — DVM, GMA Integrated News