Chinese vessels shadow Phl-Japan drills in WPS

Two Chinese warships were monitored in the vicinity as Philippine and Japanese forces conducted joint maritime drills in the West Philippine Sea over the weekend, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Sunday.

Spotted during the exercise were the People’s Liberation Army Navy destroyer Luyang III (DDG-161) and frigate Jiangkai II (FFG-579).

While their presence was noted, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla confirmed that there were no incidents or close encounters. “Both forces maintained a professional and secure operating environment,” she said.

The bilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA), held Saturday west of Zambales and northwest of Occidental Mindoro, marked the second such drill between the AFP and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and the first conducted under the newly ratified Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA).

The exercise, which ran from 7:52 a.m. to 3:02 p.m. within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, aimed to boost joint operational readiness and maritime security cooperation.

The AFP deployed the guided-missile frigate BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG-06), an AW-159 “Wildcat” anti-submarine helicopter, a Philippine Air Force C-208 surveillance aircraft, and search-and-rescue units.

Japan fielded the guided-missile destroyer JS Takanami (DDG-110) and an SH-60K “Seahawk” helicopter.