PLA Navy shadows U.S., Phl vessels

An unwanted guest once again showed up during the maritime cooperation activity between the Philippines and the United States in the West Philippine Sea, a Philippine Navy official confirmed on Sunday.

PN spokesperson for the WPS, Commodore Roy Trinidad, said China’s People Liberation Army Navy was operating the vessels.

“There’s one. It showed up. It came along with us, it looked like there were three of us conducting MCA,” Trinidad said in Filipino.

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

“It stayed in the vicinity until we’re separated from the US Navy ship,” he added.

The MCA is a routine activity conducted in the WPS by the Philippines and the US to boost regional security and stability. China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, which overlaps the WPS.

Among the assets used in the third reiteration of MCA were the Philippine Navy’s BRP Gregorio Del Pilar with an embarked AW109 naval helicopter and the US Navy’s USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) with an MH-60S Seahawk aboard.

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, focusing on advancing maritime security and heightening maritime domain awareness.