Allied navies, Chinese warships hold competing exercises off Philippines

ON BOARD THE HMCS MONTREAL SOUTH CHINA SEA NAVIGATION – As the CH-148 Cyclone helicopter prepared to take off, the Chinese warship was in sight to the starboard side of the Canadian frigate.

Jiangdao-class corvette PLAN Type 056 CNS Wuzhou (626) would remain nearby for the rest of the day as Chinese warships and a coalition of U.S. allies held combat exercises off the coast of the Philippines on Wednesday.

Observed by USNI News from a Royal Canadian Air Force helicopter hovering above the exercise, three Chinese warships — two Type 056 Jiangdao-class corvettes and a Type 054A Jiangkai II-class frigate — circled the coalition ships as they sought to conduct a joint sailing in a diamond formation.

The four nations are jointly drilling in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone – a stretch extending about 200 nautical miles from a country’s territorial waters – on Wednesday and Thursday for the first time.

“Australia, Canada, the Philippines and the United States uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, and respect for maritime entitlements under international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” reads a statement signed by the chiefs of defence of Canada, Australia and the Philippines and the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Sam Paparo.

The Southern Theater Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army announced its own state-sponsored naval and air exercise near the Second Thomas Shoal on Wednesday. China Daily reported.

The naval exercise “aimed at testing the ability of its forces to conduct reconnaissance, early warning, rapid deployment and joint strikes, noting that it closely monitors all foreign military activities aimed at sowing trouble, creating tensions and jeopardizing peace and stability in the region,” according to China Daily.

As the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70) rendezvoused with the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Montreal (FFH-336) and two Philippine Navy ships Wednesday morning, Wuzhou operated from Montreal starboard.

Chatter on board the ship that morning suggested the crew were aware there was a Chinese queue and sailors had been advised not to bring their personal mobile phones onto the flight deck because foreign ships were operating nearby.

Montreal flew his CH-148 helicopter so a sailor could take a photo of the four ships – Montreal, Lake ErieBRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16). Wuzhou continued to operate from Montrealstarboard side for the entire duration of the helicopter flight and was visible in the photographs. MontrealThe embarked helicopter circled over the area and one of the PLAN ships also launched a helicopter.

The Cyclone crew carefully maneuvered to keep their distance from the Chinese ships, but the PLAN warships remained in sight as they shadowed the coalition exercise.

For the common sail, Montreal sent several sailors to Ramon Alcaraz and the Philippine Navy ships each sent one sailor to Montreal. The exercises follow MontrealThe recent visit to the port of Manila, which included several exchanges with the Philippine Navy.

“Today we were able to experience the valuable opportunity to train with our friends from the U.S. Navy, Philippine Navy and Royal Australian Air Force,” said Commander Travis Bain, squadron commander. Montrealsaid in a statement to USNI News about the exercise. “It is also a clear demonstration of Canada’s commitment to the rules-based international order, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.”

The exercise comes about a week after the Philippines conducted its first resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) since the government signed an agreement with China to resupply the Second Thomas Shoal outpost. Neither country has released details of the agreement. While the recent resupply was uneventful, China and the Philippines have issued conflicting statements following the mission, USNI News previously reported. China claimed its forces inspected the Philippine vessels, while a Philippine government spokesperson denied the claims.

China-Philippines deal follows months of tensions over diplomatic missions Sierra Madrea rusting World War II-era tank landing ship that the Philippine Navy deliberately ran aground on Second Thomas Shoal in the 1990s to claim the site.

Over the past year, Chinese forces have become increasingly aggressive toward Filipino sailors conducting these resupply missions, with Chinese coast guards firing water cannons at Philippine vessels. Several of these incidents have resulted in injuries to Filipino sailors, and the ongoing aggression culminated in an incident in mid-June in which Chinese forces, while blocking resupply, seriously injured a Filipino sailor and seized small Philippine boats and firearms, USNI News reported at the time.

At the same time as the June resupply mission, Canada, the United States, the Philippines and Japan were drilling nearby in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

In the joint statement on this week’s exercises, the United States, Canada, the Philippines and Australia reiterated their support for the 2016 international tribunal that ruled against Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea and said China has no legal claim to Second Thomas Shoal or the waters surrounding the structure.

“We stand united in addressing common maritime challenges and underscore our shared commitment to upholding international law and the rules-based order,” the four-nation statement read. “Our four nations reaffirm that the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award is a final and legally binding decision on the parties to the dispute.”

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