[International] South China Sea Tensions Continue as Philippines and US Complete Joint Maritime Patrol

Amidst continued tensions in the South China Sea, the Philippine military and the United States have completed their fourth joint South China Sea patrol exercise this year, codenamed 'Maritime Cooperative Activity' (MCA), further enhancing the maritime coordinated operational capabilities of both forces. The Philippine military announced today (20th) that this joint patrol was conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) from the 14th to the 19th in the 'West Philippine Sea,' as part of deepening defense cooperation between the two sides. The 'West Philippine Sea' is the official term used by the Philippines for its claimed waters in the South China Sea, extending 200 nautical miles from its baseline as an exclusive economic zone. Recently, the Philippine military and coast guard released photos accusing China of deploying suspicious floating platforms at Scarborough Shoal (known as Democratic Reef in Taiwan), raising concerns that this could be a prelude to China building artificial islands. During the joint patrol exercise, the Philippine side mobilized the missile frigate BRP Diego Silang, FA-50 light fighter jets, C-208B reconnaissance aircraft, AW109 helicopters, Sokol multi-purpose helicopters, and two coast guard vessels. The US side dispatched P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and two US Coast Guard patrol vessels, with participation from the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment. The exercise included drills such as search and rescue, ship boarding and inspection, communication, area tactics, joint fires, and maritime photography. The Philippine military stated that this is the fourth MCA exercise between the Philippines and the US this year, aimed at improving coordinated operational capabilities, strengthening maritime domain awareness, and demonstrating support for the 'rules-based international order' in the Indo-Pacific region. The Philippines began regular MCA joint patrols with the United States in November 2023, and in April 2024, expanded this to 'Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activities' (MMCA), inviting like-minded countries such as Japan, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Separately, the Philippine Navy announced today that the missile frigate BRP Miguel Malvar, en route to Hawaii for the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, also conducted a joint air defense exercise with naval vessels from Japan, Singapore, and Italy on the 18th. The Philippine Navy stated that Japanese vessels released drones during the exercise to simulate hostile low-flying targets, which were then shot down by each vessel to test air defense system integration capabilities. (Editor: Liu Xianghua)