Chinese Warships Shadow Joint Naval Drills in the West Philippine Sea

Two Chinese warships shadowed joint naval drills conducted by the Philippines, United States, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand in the West Philippine Sea on Saturday, September 28. According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels monitored the exercise without direct interference. The Chinese ships approached within half a nautical mile but displayed no aggressive behavior. Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad noted that the Chinese acted professionally. The joint naval drills, which were the fourth overall and the first involving New Zealand, proceeded as planned. On the same day, China conducted its own naval and air exercises near Scarborough Shoal.

The exact location of the five-country exercise in the West Philippine Sea was not disclosed, but the AFP confirmed it was under the Northern Luzon Command’s area, which includes Scarborough Shoal. While two Chinese warships were spotted, there were no reports of China’s sea and air drills near the area, according to the AFP. Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad suggested that Beijing’s announcement of their maritime exercises was intended to reassure their domestic audience and avoid appearing weak.

Trinidad stated that the five-country maritime exercise included training on division tactics, communications checks, formation steaming, and enhancing interoperability among modern navies. The AFP confirmed that protocols were in place to ensure the safety of participating vessels during the joint patrol. This naval presence in Philippine waters occurred a day after high-level talks between Beijing and Washington at the UN General Assembly in New York. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken condemned China’s “dangerous and destabilizing actions” in the region, while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned the U.S. not to provoke problems. The vessels from Australia, Japan, and New Zealand had previously passed through the Taiwan Strait before joining the drills. China continues to assert its claims over the South China Sea, despite an international ruling rejecting its claims.