Navy doubts China’s ‘routine patrol’ during PH drills with allies

Chinese warships were seen shadowing the participants of the MMCA that included the Philippine Navy’s BRP Jose Rizal (foreground) and Canada’s HMCS Ville de Québec

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy on Thursday disputed the claim of China’s “routine patrol” off Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in response to the country’s drills with the United States, Canada, and Australia near the maritime feature’s vicinity.

Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the two warships of the People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) — a Luyang Class Guided Missile Destroyer and a Jiangkai Class Frigate — was monitored 40 nautical miles southeast of Panatag Shoal.

“These ships were monitored during the conduct of the 10th MMCA (Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity) involving the US Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Australian Navy, and the Philippine Navy,” Trinidad said of the two PLA-N warships in a statement.

READ: China warships shadow PH, Australian, Canadian drills near Scarborough

The latest MMCA involved PH Navy’s flagship guided-missile frigate BRP Jose Rizal, Australia’s Hobart-class destroyer HMAS Brisbane, Canada’s Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ville de Québec, the United States reconnaissance aircraft, P-8A Poseidon, and other aerial assets.

Trinidad cast doubt on the purported patrol of PLA-N made in response to this patrolling fleet.

“They were observed following the international task group and were not conducting any surface serials or synchronized movement that would generally indicate a joint patrol contrary to publications by the Southern Theater Command,” Trinidad also said of the two PLA-N warships.

READ: Repairs on CCG ship in Panatag collision may take 2 months — PH Navy

On Wednesday, PLA-N Southern Theater Command spokesperson Tian Junli said in a statement that the Chinese military conducted routine patrols in the South China Sea in response to the latest joint patrol.

Tian did not provide further details.

“Such messages are part of their malign influence operations to justify their illegal presence in the country’s exclusive economic zone,” Trinidad said.

The patrol comes after the August 11 collision of a PLA-N warship with a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel. CCG-3104 was chasing Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Suluan at high speed when it collided with PLA-N warship No. 164, crushing the CCG ship’s forecastle while four of its crew reportedly went overboard.

Since its effective takeover in 2012, China has enforced what experts call “exclusion zone enforcement” around the Panatag Shoal, outright flouting the 2016 Arbitral Award, which declared the area a traditional fishing ground for the Philippines, China, and Vietnam.

Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea but the landmark international ruling effectively dismissed this in favor of Manila’s sovereign rights. /cb