China has accused Manila of enlisting ‘foreign forces’ to patrol the disputed waterway
South China Sea: pressure mounts on Beijing in region as Marcos says Philippines will never give an inch
- A view of Beijing as coercive and aggressive has the potential to push countries towards the West if it does not soften, analysts say
- China ‘cannot keep shooting itself in the foot and then blame Manila or Washington for pulling the trigger’, says Wilson Centre fellow
South China Sea: Philippines, Australia start joint patrols amid Beijing tensions
- Philippine President Marcos Jnr said the three-day sea and air drills are a ‘practical manifestation of the growing defense partnership’ between the two sides
- China has accused Manila of enlisting ‘foreign forces’ to patrol the disputed waterway
Australia and Philippines begin joint patrols in South China Sea as regional tensions rise
Richard Marles says two countries committed to a peaceful region where ‘sovereignty and agreed rules and norms are respected’
Australia and the Philippines have begun joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea as Pacific nations warily eye an increasingly assertive China.
The three-day exercises follow discussions earlier this year on joint patrols to underscore what the countries say is their commitment to closer cooperation and a rules-based order in the region.
It also comes days after Manila took similar steps with the US, concluding patrols that started in waters near Taiwan.
Australia’s defence minister, Richard Marles, said the inaugural patrols represent the practical implementation of the strategic partnership signed between the two nations in September.
“Australia and the Philippines are firmly committed to a peaceful, secure and prosperous region, where sovereignty and agreed rules and norms are respected,” he said on Saturday in a joint statement with the Philippine national defense secretary, Gilberto C Teodoro Jr.
“The first maritime cooperative activity between the Australian Defence Force and Armed Forces of the Philippines demonstrates this important commitment.”
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