No Chinese ships were monitored interfering within the horizon in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) during the recent maritime cooperative activity (MCA) between the Philippines and France, Navy spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said Tuesday.

“During the conduct of the multilateral cooperative activity with the French Navy and the Armed Forces, there were no PLA Navy, Coast Guard, or maritime militia noted within close proximity. They were at a distance of more than 120 nautical miles away,” Trinidad told reporters in a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

The French Navy’s aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle (R91), Fregate Européenne Multi-Mission destroyer Provence (D652), force supply vessel Jacques Chevallier (A725), air defense destroyer Forbin (D620) and Aquitaine-class frigate Alsace (D656) conducted bilateral maritime exercises with the Philippine military in Western Luzon on 21 February.

During the MCA, the Armed Forces of the Philippines deployed Philippine Navy vessels BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) and BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PS15), as well as the Philippine Air Force’s C90 aircraft, two FA-50s, and a search and rescue (SAR) unit.

“I would like to highlight that the presence of foreign navies in our maritime domain only speaks of the strengthening of relationships between the country of that particular navy,” Trinidad said.

Chinese vessels had been monitored in the country’s past multilateral exercises with the United States, Australia, Japan and Canada, asserting their vast claims over almost the entire South China Sea, which encroaches on the WPS.