The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday said it has not received reports regarding a Russian corvette holding drills with Chinese warships in the South China Sea.
This was according to AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. as cited in a post by GMA Integrated News’ JP Soriano on X (formerly Twitter).
Despite this, Brawner said they will look into the situation “to ensure the safety of the Philippines under the rules-based order.”
He also said the AFP will continue monitoring the situation in the South China Sea, a portion of which has been referred to as the West Philippine Sea by Manila.
Based on a Jakarta Post report, Russia’s Pacific Fleet Sovershennyi corvette, along with a detachment of People’s Liberation Army Navy warships, “conducted training to inspect a suspicious vessel during a joint naval patrol in the Philippine Sea.”
China claims most of the South China Sea, a key conduit for $3 trillion of annual ship-borne trade, as its own territory. Beijing rejects the 2016 ruling by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration which said its expansive maritime claims had no legal basis.
China’s navy has clashed several times with Philippine forces seeking to resupply BRP Sierra Madre, the grounded ship that serves as the Manila’s post in Ayungin Shoal.
The Ayungin Shoal, which China calls Ren’ai Reef, is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan. It is within the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone and is part of its continental shelf.
EXPLAINER: What is the Ayungin Shoal and why is it important?
The Philippines and China last week agreed to de-escalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea following a violent incident in Ayungin Shoal last month where several Filipino personnel were hurt, including one who lost his thumb.
In a July 2 statement, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said a bilateral meeting was held in Manila — the second for this year since January 17 — where the two countries discussed the situation in the disputed waters, including the June 17 incident where Chinese Coast Guard vessels rammed Philippine vessels, seized firearms and rubber boats, and threatened Filipino soldiers with knives, axe and spears to stop them from delivering food supplies, firearms and other necessities to Filipino troops stationed in Ayungin Shoal.
It was the most violent Chinese action against the Philippines, which triggered condemnation and alarm from several countries led by its treaty ally, the United States. —KBK, GMA Integrated News
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