On February 12, the military forces of the Philippines, the United States, and Canada participated in a joint patrol in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. This marks the seventh joint maritime activity since last year aimed at enhancing regional security cooperation.
Philippine Armed Forces Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr. stated that the three countries participated in the 7th Multilateral Maritime Cooperation Activity (MMCA) joint exercise, showcasing a “collective commitment to enhance regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
Prior to the patrol, Brawner emphasized that the activity would adhere to international law, taking into account safety of navigation and the rights and interests of other countries.
He further mentioned that this latest multilateral maritime cooperation activity strengthens the three countries’ joint efforts to uphold the goal of openness and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific waters, while ensuring compliance with international maritime law under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
For security reasons, the military forces of the three countries did not disclose the names of the participating ships and aircraft.
The inaugural MMCA joint exercise took place in April last year, with the most recent held on February 5th.
The 6th MMCA exercise in early February involved the Philippines, the United States, Japan, and Australia. Chinese military vessels observed the activity from a distance, but did not intervene.
On the 12th, U.S. Joint Staff spokesman Navy Colonel Jereal Dorsey stated that General CQ Brown, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, held a phone conversation with Brawner to discuss the expansion of joint exercises and the importance of domain awareness within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
On Sunday, February 9th, Canadian Ambassador David Hartman mentioned that Canada and the Philippines are in the “final stages of negotiations” to reach a visiting forces agreement, aiming to achieve “deeper cooperation and substantive participation in training to enhance capabilities.”
Following this, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs announced that Canada and the Philippines are currently negotiating an agreement to further bolster their defense capabilities. The Philippines and Canada previously reached a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation in January 2024.
Given China’s claims of nearly all sovereignty over the South China Sea, including the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, tensions in the South China Sea region continue to escalate.
The Philippine government has renamed a portion of the South China Sea that belongs to the Philippines as the “West Philippine Sea” to strengthen its sovereignty claim. The West Philippine Sea refers to the sea area west of the Philippine archipelago, including the Luzon Sea and its surroundings, the Kalayaan Island Group (also known as the Spratly Islands), and Bajo de Masinloc (also known as Scarborough Shoal).
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China in the South China Sea sovereignty dispute, stating that China’s claims have “no legal basis.”
China has refused to acknowledge this ruling.