2 Chinese warships spotted monitoring Manila-New Delhi joint sail

General Romeo Brawner Jr., Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (CSAFP). —Photo from AFP FB page

MANILA, Philippines — Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. confirmed on Monday that Chinese warships were monitored in the West Philippine Sea as the Philippines and India conducted a two-day joint sail.

Despite the shadowing carried out by the Chinese ships, Brawner said “no untoward incidents” occurred on the first day of the maritime cooperative activity between Manila and New Delhi in the West Philippine Sea.

“So far we are seeing good results,” he told reporters at Villamor Air Base during the departure of President Marcos for a state visit to India from Aug. 4 to Aug. 8.

READ: Warships from India to join PH in patrolling West PH Sea in August

“We have met our objectives for the exercise. This is the first time in history that we have a joint sail with the Indian Navy. We are hoping that this cooperation will continue in the future,” Brawner added.

On Sunday, three Indian warships, composed of the guided missile destroyer INS (Indian Naval Ship) Delhi, the antisubmarine warfare corvette INS Kiltan, and the fleet tanker INS Shakti, joined the Philippine Navy’s BRP Miguel Malvar in its joint patrol in the West Philippine Sea.

At the same time, People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) warships, a Jiangkai II Class frigate with bow number 551 and a Luyang Class destroyer with bow number 161, were spotted monitoring and tracking the Indian and Philippine ships, according to Lt. Col. John Paul Salgado, assistant chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs office.

The maritime cooperative activity, however, “proceeded without interference from the PLA-N vessels,” Salgado said.

The joint sail was a result of Brawner’s discussion with Indian Armed Forces chief Gen. Anil Chauhan during the Raisina Dialogue 2025 in New Delhi in March and the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June.

“We are happy because of the quick response of the Indian Armed Forces to our invitation. We are very hopeful that we will conduct more joint sail activities with them,” the AFP chief said.

The Philippines has carried out similar patrols with its other defense allies, including the United States, Australia, Japan, France, and Canada.

Manila and Delhi conducted drills in the West Philippine Sea back in 2021. /cb