Beijing is on high alert for New Delhi’s involvement in South China Sea disputes after the first-ever joint patrol between India and the Philippines in the strategically important waters, which observers say may further complicate relations between India and China.
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The assessment was made as Indian and Philippine navies on Monday wrapped up their maritime cooperative activity (MCA), which coincided with a state visit by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr to India.
The MCA involved three Indian naval vessels, including a guided missile destroyer and an anti-submarine corvette.
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Why the South China Sea dispute remains one of the region’s most pressing issues
Why the South China Sea dispute remains one of the region’s most pressing issues
Two Philippine Navy warships, including BRP Miguel Malvar, a guided missile frigate that was commissioned in May, also took part in the two-day patrol that “spanned strategic waters” from Masinloc in Zambales province to Cabra Island in Occidental Mindoro and highlighted “the growing security collaboration between the two Indo-Pacific partners”, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) tweeted on Monday.
Masinloc is a town on the Philippines’ main island of Luzon, just 124 nautical miles (230km) east of Scarborough Shoal, a triangle-shaped chain of reefs and rocks that is at the centre of the recent maritime confrontations between Beijing and Manila.
On Monday, AFP chief of staff General Romeo Brawner Jnr told local media that “several” Chinese vessels had been spotted during the patrols, according to the Manila Bulletin.
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“We didn’t experience any untoward incidents, but there were still some vessels that shadowed us. We expected that already,” he said, adding that he hoped the joint patrol would allow more joint activities between Manila and Delhi.