The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) observed that Chinese naval vessels trailed the joint maritime exercises of the Philippines and its allies conducted on Saturday.
Together with Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the US, the country held its one-day fourth Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) in its exclusive economic zone within the West Philippine Sea, which is part of ongoing territorial disputes with China.
AFP noted the presence of China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) within the vicinity of the exercise.
However, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said that the activity “proceeded as planned without any interference and the safety of participating countries’ vessels was ensured by the protocols in place.”
“While there were observations of PLAN vessels tailing during the MMCA, no reports were received regarding the conduct of the alleged Chinese military exercise,” she added, referring to the PLA’s announcement of its routine training in the area on the same date as the MMCA.
According to Philippine Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, “China does this sometimes for their internal audience so that they would not be humiliated and look weak.”
The latest MMCA, in which New Zealand participated for the first time, was aimed at improving interoperability with allies through activities such as replenishment at sea and maritime domain awareness exercises.
“This underscores our shared commitments to upholding the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect for maritime rights under international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said.