To counter China, Philippines consider combined S. China Sea patrols

Robert Besser
26 Feb 2023, 15:10 GMT+10

The Philippines and Australia have discussed organizing joint patrols in the South China Sea to counter Chinese aggression in the strategic waterway
The Philippines earlier held discussions with the US
In Manila, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles met with Philippine counterpart Carlito Galvez to plan annual activities aimed at deepening their security ties

MANILLA, Philippines: The Philippines and Australia have discussed organizing joint patrols in the South China Sea to counter Chinese 'aggression' in the strategic waterway.

The Philippines earlier held discussions with the US.

In Manila, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles met with Philippine counterpart Carlito Galvez to plan annual activities aimed at deepening their security ties.

In a joint news conference, Marles said, "We did talk today about the possibility of exploring joint patrols and we will continue that work and we hope that comes to fruition soon."

"As countries which are committed to the global rules-based order, it is natural that we should think about ways in which we can cooperate, in this respect," he added.

The Philippines aims to counter what it describes as China's "aggressive activities" in the South China Sea, which has also become a flashpoint for Chinese and US tensions.

To enhance its presence in contested waters and protect what it says is its maritime territory, a Philippine Coast Guard aircraft has flown over the South China Sea.

In a statement, the Coast Guard said it saw a Chinese coast guard vessel and dozens of what it suspected were boats manned by Chinese militia inside the Philippines' 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

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