China ‘tails’ joint Aus-Canada-PH-US sail in West Philippine Sea 

MANILA, Philippines – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Wednesday, August 7, that three Chinese Navy vessels “tailed” an ongoing joint air and sea activity by military vessels from the Philippines, Australia, Canada and United States. 

In a statement, AFP Public Affairs Office chief Colonel Xerxes Trinidad said that while they monitored “no trace” of the Chinese military in Scarborough Shoal, where the Chinese said they would hold a “joint combat patrol.” “Aside from the usual illegal encroachment and presence of Chinese maritime militia vessels, we have not monitored any purported exercise or combat patrols,” he said. 

“We can, however, confirm the presence of three PLA Navy vessels, namely PLA-Navy WUZHOU (FSG 626) Jiangdao II Class Corvette, PLA-Navy HUANGSHAN (FFG 570) Jiankai II Class Corvette, and PLA-Navy QUJING (FSG 668) Jiangdao II Class Corvette, that tailed the ongoing AUS-CAN-PH-US Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA),” added Trinidad. 

The military colonel added that “the safety of our personnel and the overall conduct of the MMCA remains an utmost priority.” 

Various assets of the four militaries – at least two Philippine Navy ships and a AW159 helicopter, Canada’s HMCS Montreal and Sikorsky CH-148, the United States’ USS Lake Erie and a Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, and Australia’s Poseidon aircraft – are conducting, from August 7 to 8, a Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity within the AFP Western Command’s area in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. 

“The AFP, in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard and other relevant agencies, will continue to monitor the situation as part of our mandate to protect our territory, sovereignty, and sovereign rights based on international law,” added Trinidad. 

China’s Southern Theater Command earlier on Wednesday announced it would hold a joint combat patrol in Scarborough Shoal, a high-tide elevation that’s just over 125 nautical miles from mainland Philippines. While it’s within the Philippines’ EEZ, Scarborough Shoal generates its own 12 nautical mile territorial sea. 

China has taken effective control of the shoal since 2012, following a tense standoff between Beijing and Manila. 

The shoal, considered traditional fishing grounds of Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese fisherfolk has become harder and harder for Filipinos to access, with the Chinese regularly shooing away small-scale fishing vessels and blocking the mouth of the shoal. 

The MMCA involving the four nations is taking place in the area under the AFP’s Western Command, which excludes Scarborough Shoal. – Rappler.com