Philippines, Japan conduct joint exercise in South China Sea
KYODO NEWS - 22 hours ago - 22:44 | All, World, Japan
The Philippines and Japan conducted a joint maritime exercise Saturday in an area of the South China Sea that the Southeast Asian country insists it has jurisdiction over, amid China's intensifying claims in the waters.
The Miguel Malvar, a guided missile frigate from the Philippine Navy and the Takanami, a destroyer from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, took part in the exercise, which was held west of the town of Masinloc on the Philippines' main island of Luzon.
The exercise, called the Maritime Cooperative Activity, is aimed at strengthening international cooperation to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Philippine military has said.
Kyodo News and some other select members of the media from the Philippines and Japan were onboard the frigate, and watched it and the Japanese ship conduct an anti-submarine warfare drill that the countries did not conduct during their first such exercise last August.
"The spirit of friendship and mutual respect in our maritime forces remain vital in promoting peace, stability and maritime security in the region," Capt. Paul Michael Hechanova, commander of the Miguel Malvar, said in a message to the Takanami, as seen in a video released by the Philippine military.
Two Chinese navy ships were spotted from a distance but there were no radio challenges or other untoward incidents.
The Philippines has reported repeated incursions by Chinese vessels in its exclusive economic zone, some sailing to within some 50 nautical miles of Luzon's shore earlier this year. China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that invalidated the country's claims over almost the entire South China Sea.
Japan and the Philippines signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement to facilitate joint exercises and disaster relief operations last July, and aside from holding bilateral drills the two countries have also taken part in multilateral exercises involving the United States and Australia, among others.
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