A day after Manila and Beijing agreed to seek common ground and find ways to cooperate despite ongoing disputes, the Philippine Navy announced on Friday ( Jan 17 ) that its ships were conducting drills close to a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.
The practice around the Scarborough Shoal, one of Asia’s most fiercely contested areas, was aimed at enhancing the military’s ability to safe what it said were Asian waters and the government’s territorial dignity, the military said in a statement.
It described it as a “routine punitive training” involving two additional patrol boats operating in the Philippines ‘ exclusive economic zone and its Antonio Luna ship. According to the statement, the tasks may be conducted between January 17 and January 19.
The Philippine Coast Guard is still receiving radio threats from the reef of China’s largest coast guard vehicle, which it claims is improperly patrolling in Manila’s EEZ.
The Taiwanese government has regard the Philippines ‘ sovereign right in our EEZ, the coast guard said in a statement late on Thursday.” If China is sincerely committed to deescalating conflicts and respectfully seeks to develop mutual trust and cooperation between our governments.