Chinese Navy ship shadows Phl-US vessels

Unwanted guests have once again showed up during the maritime cooperative activity between the Philippines and the United States in the West Philippine Sea, a navy official confirmed on Sunday.

Commodore Roy Trinidad, the Philippine Navy spokesperson for WPS, said the vessels were being operated by China’s People Liberation Army Navy.

“Mayroong isa. Nagpakita. Sumasabay, akala mo tatlo tayong nag-e-MCA, eh (There’s one. It showed up. It came along with us, it looks like there were three of us conducting MCA),” he said.

Trinidad noted that they have been expecting a Chinese presence every time the country conducts a joint activity, not only with the US but even with other foreign countries.

Aside from shadowing, he said the PLA ship did not perform any illegal maneuvers.

“Nandoon lang sa vicinitiy hanggang sa maghiwalay tayo sa US Navy na barko (It stayed in the vicinity until we’ve separated with the US Navy ship),” he added.

The MCA has become a routine activity being conducted in the WPS between the Philippines and the US—as they commit to boosting regional security and stability.

Among the utilized assets in the third reiteration of MCA are the Philippine Navy’s BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS 15) with an embarked AW109 Naval Helicopter and the US Navy’s USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) with an MH-60S Seahawk Helicopter onboard.

Trinidad said the assets performed passing and formation exercises

Both navies were also trained on the communication checks for interoperability.

The MCA was designed to foster enhanced interoperability between the two allied forces, with a concentrated focus on advancing maritime security and heightening maritime domain awareness.