The Philippines is in talks with the US and Australia on conducting joint patrols in the South China Sea, a step that would raise tensions between Washington and Beijing.
According to The Diplomat, Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela said this week that Manila was in talks on the “possibility of joining the US Coast Guard in a joint patrol” in the waters. The spokesman didn’t say when they might start but insisted it was a “certainty” that the joint patrols would eventually happen.
“This is not in the infancy stage. There is already clear path of possibility since the Defense Department of the United States has also supported the joint patrol with the Philippines Navy and the US Navy,” Tarriela said.
On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez, about an encounter between Philippine and Chinese vessels that took place earlier this month.
On February 6, Manila claims a Chinese boat pointed a laser at a Philippine vessel near Second Thomas Shoal, a reef controlled by the Philippines that is also claimed by China.
According to a Pentagon readout of the call, the two military leaders discussed “proposals to deepen operational cooperation and enhance the United States and the Philippines’ shared security, including the recent decision to resume combined maritime activities in the South China Sea.”
Source: Antiwar.com
© CopyRights RawNews1st
