As Vietnam Coast Guard set to hold drills with PH
The Philippine and Japanese navies held their first joint exercise on Friday in the West Philippine Sea, as the two US allies boost security ties in the face of China’s growing pressure.
The drills followed the signing less than a month ago of an agreement between Manila and Tokyo to allow the deployment of troops on each other’s territory.
It came two days after a Vietnamese coast guard vessel left for the Philippines for joint training exercises, Hanoi said, the first such exchange between the countries in dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea.
The 2,400-ton CSB 8002 vessel left Vietnamese waters Wednesday for a trip that has “profound political significance,” Vietnam’s defense ministry said in a statement.
The visit was an opportunity for both coast guard forces to “promote comprehensive cooperation (and) improve law enforcement ability at sea… to contribute to the maintenance of peace, stability, security and safety in the relevant sea area and in the region.”
The two will carry out joint drills on search and rescue, fire prevention and fighting at sea.
In a January visit to Vietnam by President Marcos, the two countries agreed to boost coastguard cooperation in the South China Sea and “peacefully solve incidents at sea.”
Meanwhile, the Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami and the Philippine guided missile frigate BRP Jose Rizal took part in the two countries’ first bilateral “Maritime Cooperative Activity,” the Armed Forces of the Philippines said.
“This activity was part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen regional and international cooperation towards realising a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the AFP said in a statement.
“Japan is committed to strengthening its partnerships with like-minded countries in upholding freedom of navigation and rule of law,” the Japanese embassy in Manila added.
The two vessels held a communications exercise and undertook tactical maneuvers in the West Philippine Sea.
These “enhanced the tactical capabilities of the Philippine Navy and the (Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force) and reinforced the strong ties and mutual commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the region,” the AFP said.
A similar exercise was held two days earlier, also in South China Sea waters close to the Philippines, between the Filipino navy patrol ship BRP Ramon Alcaraz and the US Navy’s littoral combat ship USS Mobile.
The Philippines and Japan are longtime allies of the United States, which has been strengthening its alliances from Canberra to Tokyo to counter China’s growing military might and influence in the region.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea but the Philippines, Vietnam and several other nations claim various islands, islets, reefs and shoals in the crucial strategic waterway. With AFP
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: Philippines, Japan hold first bilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity
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