On the day US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Manila to reaffirm Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to defending its long-time ally in the Indo-Pacific region, warships from China, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States patrolled the West Philippine Sea.
China’s Southern Theater Command said it sent warships to conduct patrols on waters it claimed to have undisputed sovereignty, matching the Philippine-led multilateral maritime cooperative activity (MMCA) in the West Philippine Sea.
A US Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer sailed alongside two guided-missile frigates from Japan and the Philippines in the latest joint naval drills, the eighth iteration since last year.
The frequency and number of Allied warships involved in the Philippine-led joint naval drills have been increasing, a challenge to China’s illegal and excessive claim in the South China Sea.
Beijing has been claiming almost the entire South China Sea, a strategic waterway where $3 trillion worth of seaborne trade passes annually.
Asserting its sovereignty claim, China sent its Coast Guard vessels to patrol beyond its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to waters about 50 nautical miles off the Philippines’ western seaboard in Zambales, Pangasinan, and La Union provinces.
It has also stepped up its coercive activities around Bajo de Masinloc, about 130 nautical miles west of Zambales. This uninhabited rocky outcrop was declared an artisan fishing ground by the Permanent Arbitration Court (PCA) in The Hague in a 2016 ruling.
China seized control of Bajo de Masinloc in June 2012 after a three-month standoff with the Philippines.
A decade ago, the Philippines had no naval capability to confront China. It only had three ex-US Coast Guard USS Hamilton-class cutters and three ex-Peacock-class patrol boats.
Five years ago, the first of two guided-missile frigates, BRP Jose Rizal, came into service. This year, the first of two more frigates, BRP Miguel Malvar, will enter into service.
Six Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) will soon be added to the fleet.
With upgraded capability, the Philippines van now hold joint patrols and naval drills with its allies, like Australia, Canada, Japan, and the United States.
There were times when France and New Zealand joined the multilateral maritime cooperative activities.
China usually shadows these Allied joint drills. It also conducts separate patrols around Bajo de Masinloc and other parts of the South China Sea.
Allied and Chinese maritime forces also hold overflights in the West Philippine Sea. China’s naval helicopters even flew dangerous maneuvers, disrupting Philippine C-90 and smaller planes patrolling over Bajo de Masinloc.
China’s unsafe and dangerous maneuvers at sea and on air are accidents waiting to happen and could trigger limited confrontations, threatening loss of lives and destruction of equipment.
However, China accused the Philippines of unnecessary provocations by enlisting the United States and other like-minded countries to join its patrols to destabilize the region.
Manila ignored Beijing’s warnings on its joint patrols. A Philippine military spokesman, Colonel Xerxes Trinidad, defended the joint patrol, saying “Collaboration with allies and other like-minded nations is a matter of national policy, designed to enhance defense capabilities and maritime domain awareness, ensure freedom of navigation, and uphold regional security.”
“The strength of our collaborative efforts underscores a shared dedication to upholding the rules-based international order,” he added.
The shadow play at the West Philippine Sea raises the temperature and increases the risks of confrontation.
The Philippines will not back down and defend its maritime zones, and continues to upgrade its deterrence capabilities, acquiring surface vessels, aircraft, and anti-ship and air defense missiles.
The United States has added potent deterrence capabilities by deploying a Mid-Range Capability (MRC), a Typhon missile launcher capable of delivering Tomahawk and Standard SM 5 missiles with a range of about 1,500 miles.
During Hegseth’s visit, he announced the deployment of the Navy-Marines Expeditionary Anti-Ship Interdiction Missiles System (NMESIS) in the next “Balikatan” exercises this month, a move that would anger Beijing.
China is expected to react adversely to increased maritime patrols and coercive activities in the West Philippine Sea.
This would heighten the shadow play in the increasingly volatile waterway.