Philippines launches joint sea, air patrols with U.S. military

The Philippines and the United States have initiated joint patrols in waters near Taiwan, according to officials in the Southeast Asian country, a move that is certain to exacerbate tensions with China.

According to the report, security engagements between the treaty partners have increased significantly this year, including a decision to nearly treble the number of Philippine facilities that the American military may access, some of which face Taiwan, and their largest-ever combined military practice in April.

The three-day joint air and sea exercise this week was a “significant initiative” to improve interoperability between the two, according to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

According to Northern Luzon command spokesman Eugene Cabusao, the practice will begin near Mavulis island, the northernmost tip of the Philippines, which is situated roughly 100 kilometers off the coast of Taiwan.

It will terminate at the West Philippine Sea, which Manila refers to as its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) when referring to South China Sea waters.

The US would send a littoral combat ship and a P8-A maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft, according to the Philippine military.

Marcos has forged closer ties with Washington since assuming office last year after a testy relationship with former President Rodrigo Duterte, who had pivoted closer to Beijing in exchange for infrastructure projects and investments.

Ties with China have soured under Marcos, with repeated standoffs between Chinese and Filipino vessels in waters claimed by both countries, prompting heated exchanges of rhetoric and concerns of an escalation.

However, Marcos recently met Chinese President Xi Jinping in a bid to reduce the tension.

The joint patrol with the United States showed that Manila was making a stand over the South China Sea, said Jay Batongbacal, director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea in Manila, the capital.