MANILA, Philippines — Four countries will be joining the Philippines in its exclusive economic zone on Saturday, September 28, for the fourth iteration of a Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced in a statement.
“The combined armed and defense forces of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the United States, demonstrating a collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, will conduct a Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone on September 28, 2024,” said the AFP.
The Philippine military did not specify where in the Philippines’ EEZ the drills would take place, or on which side of the country it would happen. Previous iterations were held in the West Philippine Sea, or part of the South China Sea where the Philippines exercises sovereign rights.
“The naval and air force units of participating nations will operate together enhancing cooperation and interoperability between our armed forces. The activity will be conducted in a manner consistent with international law and with due regard to the safety of navigation and the rights and interests of other States,” said the AFP.
“This underscores our shared commitments to upholding the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect for maritime rights under international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” it added.
The September 28 drill would be the first to include New Zealand, which is reportedly eyeing closer defense and security ties with the Philippines.
Australia, Japan, and the United States have sailed and flown over Philippine waters with the AFP in the past, both on bilateral and multilateral levels. The Philippines also happens to have standing military training agreements with all three countries, although the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Japan has yet to be ratified by the Philippine Senate and Japanese Diet.
Maritime Cooperation Activities (MCA) or MMCAs are terms the Philippines uses to describe joint sails or joint maritime exercises in its waters. Often, they involve the naval and air force units of participating countries.
MCAs or MMCAs first took place in late 2023. The first joint sail between treaty-allies the Philippines and the United States took place just days after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, or the command that operates in this part of the world.
The Philippines has been strengthening its defense and security ties with allies and traditional partners, as well as expanding ties with new and emerging “like-minded” nations, as China grows more aggressive in asserting its sweeping claim over practically the entire South China Sea.
Manila has sovereign rights over a 200-nautical mile zone in the West Philippine Sea — a position that was affirmed by the 2016 arbitral ruling. Beijing refuses to recognize this ruling, and continues to exist on its so-called historical claims over the vast South China Sea.
For the Philippines, an assertive China has meant facing harassment — in the form of ramming, use of water cannons, and flares in the air — in and beyond its own waters.
On September 28 (September 27 in New York), an “international coalition” affirmed that “adherence to international law is critical for maritime safety and security in the Asia-Pacific… during a United Nations Ministerial on Maritime Safety and Security in the Asia-Pacific.”
This is the same meeting that Philippine Ambassador to Manila Jose Manuel Romualdez said would “talk some sense” into China. No other details were available about the meeting as of posting. – Rappler.com