The Philippines and Australia Wednesday had discussions over the possibility of conducting joint patrols in the South China Sea.
The Philippines is ramping up its efforts to counter what it describes as China's "aggressive activities" in the South China Sea, which has also become a flashpoint for tensions between China and the United States regarding naval operations. The Philippines and China both have sovereign claims in the strategic waterway, which overlap with one another.
In an effort to strengthen the countries' existing security connections, the Australian Minister of Defense, Richard Marles, and his Filipino Minister of Defense, Carlito Galvez, met in Manila. Both men have stated that they intend to make this a yearly occurrence.
"We did talk today about the possibility of exploring joint patrols and we will continue that work and we hope that comes to fruition soon," Marles said at a joint news conference with Galvez after the meeting.
"As countries which are committed to the global rules-based order, it is natural that we should think about ways in which we can cooperate in this respect."
Following on the heels of similar negotiations between Manila and Washington regarding the idea of conducting joint coast guard patrols, particularly in the South China Sea, comes the possibility of the Philippines and Australia doing joint patrols together in the South China Sea.
According to a statement that was issued by the Pentagon on Tuesday, Galvez spoke with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over the phone prior to his meeting with Marles. During their conversation, Galvez and Austin reportedly discussed the decision to resume their countries' combined maritime activities in the South China Sea.
The statement said that the two discussed "concerning developments" in the South China Sea, including an incident that occurred on Feb. 6 in which China's Coast Guard directed a military-grade laser at the crew of a Philippine Coast Guard vessel that was lawfully operating around Second Thomas Shoal. The crew of the Philippine Coast Guard vessel was lawfully operating around Second Thomas Shoal.
China has stated that the version given by the Philippines does not reflect the facts and that its actions were within the law.
The Philippines and Australia have had military links since 1922, and the two countries currently have a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement in place. This agreement offers a complete legal and operational framework for defense cooperation.
