U.S & the Philippines Begin Joint Patrols In The South China Sea Alarming China

The Philippines and the US military initiated joint marine and aviation patrols in the South China Sea on Tuesday, according to the Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who called it a “significant initiative.”

The statement by the Philippine president comes amid a rapid deepening of ties between the two defense treaty allies this year, also including a decision to nearly double the amount of Philippine facilities accessible to the US military, including ones facing Taiwan.

This major initiative is an affirmation of the commitment to bolstering the interoperability of our military forces when carrying out maritime and air patrols, Marcos remarked on the social networking site X.

Per Eugene Cabusao, who is associated with the Northern Luzon command, the patrol would reportedly take place off the island of Mavulis. The island is the Philippines’ northernmost point, situated about 100 kilometres off the coast of Taiwan.

The declaration comes a day after Marcos told a Hawaii gathering that the circumstances in the South China Sea were getting “more dire than before,” with the Chinese military moving closer to the Philippine coast.

The patrols are bound to irritate China, which has cautioned the Philippines against operations with the US that it believes will exacerbate regional tensions. The Chinese embassy in Manila didn’t respond quickly to an appeal for comment on the operation.

Per a Philippine military statement, the coordinated marine and air patrols will begin off the Batanes islands and travel west to the South China Sea.

The Philippines would send three navy ships, two FA-50 light combat aircraft, and an A-29B Super Tucano light-attack jet, while the US would send a littoral combat vessel and a P9-A maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft.

The joint patrol with the US, according to Jay Batongbacal, the director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, demonstrated that Manila was taking a stand in the South China Sea.

It reflects that the Philippines is hardening its stance over West Philippine Sea issues, he stated, referring to the Philippine EEZ.

It demonstrates the present administration’s desire to pursue a more aggressive policy in the West Philippine Sea.

Reference- NDTV

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Source: Maritime Shipping News