Two Chinese navy ships were tracking Philippine and U.S. ships conducting joint patrols in the South China Sea, the Philippine military said on Thursday, amid heightened tensions in the region over disputed territorial claims, writes UNN citing Reuters.
Details
"We confirm the presence of two PLA-N (People's Liberation Army Navy-N) ships that are monitoring from afar the participants in the maritime cooperative activities," said Philippine Armed Forces public relations chief Xerxes Trinidad.
The two-day maritime exercise involving Manila and Washington, which ended as planned on Thursday, was the second in less than two months in the West Philippine Sea - as Manila calls the waters of the South China Sea within its 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The action followed Beijing's warning to the Philippines that any miscalculation in its escalation of the South China Sea dispute would result in a strong response.
"We hope that China and other foreign countries will respect our sovereignty and right to conduct activities consistent with international law," Trinidad said.
The joint patrols had already begun when the Chinese military said it would conduct regular patrols involving its navy and air force in the South China Sea from Wednesday through Thursday, but did not specify where exactly the patrols would take place.
The Philippine military said Wednesday that their second joint patrol this week involved four ships of the Philippine navy and four ships of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, including an aircraft carrier, a cruiser and two destroyers.
Supplement
China claims almost all of the South China Sea. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration said that China's claims had no legal basis, but China pushed back against the ruling.
Beijing and Manila have traded accusations over several skirmishes in the South China Sea in recent months, including allegations that China rammed a ship carrying the chief of staff of the Philippine armed forces last month, the publication noted.