PH, US maritime patrols shadowed by Chinese ship – Brawner

FILE: AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. (Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – A Chinese vessel shadowed the joint maritime patrol of the Philippines and the United States but did not commit any aggressive actions against the Filipino and American ships, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said Thursday.

The joint maritime patrol, which consisted of two Philippine Navy ships and one US Navy vessel, took place at about 10:15 a.m. Thursday near the Malampaya Deep Water Gas-to-Power Project Platform, about 27 nautical miles from Palawan.

“Well, there was shadowing. We monitored a Chinese vessel shadowing the (Philippines and US) joint maritime patrol but there are no aggressive actions by China and I hope that this continues,” Brawner said.

He added that the Chinese ship observed the Filipino and American ships at a distance of 6.5 nautical miles.

Brawner, however, did not give details on how long the shadowing took place.

He also noted that the Chinese ship did not engage in any dangerous maneuver and its shadowing is not a cause of concern as even US ships engaged in “freedom of navigation operations” (FONOPS) are subjected to it.

The joint maritime patrols began off Batanes on Nov. 21 and ended at the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on Nov. 23.

“So far, we believe that the joint maritime and air patrol between the Philippines and the US have been very successful in the sense that there are no untoward incidents. We were able (to) achieve the objectives that we have set forth for this joint maritime and air patrols, so we saw how we could operate closely with our allies, the United States,” Brawner said.

He added that the joint patrols were not meant to agitate China and that its primary objective was to ensure “interoperability” with the US, aside from promoting rules-based order while Filipino and American forces were sailing and flying together.

Earlier, the AFP and the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) conducted maritime tactical exercises as part of the three-day maritime cooperative activity (MCA) in the WPS on Nov. 23.

Two vessels of the Philippine Navy, the BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) and BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS-15), performed cross-deck operations, Officer of the Watch maneuvers, and publication and communication exercises with the USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10).

The MCA is an approved activity of the Mutual Defense Board – Security Engagement Board and within the framework of the Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty.

It aims to test protocols and further enhance interoperability between the AFP and USINDOPACOM.