MANILA, Philippines — Chinese forces keep their distance when they see Philippine forces sailing with powerful nations in the South China Sea, a ranking Philippine Navy official shared on Wednesday, November 6.
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Philippine Navy's spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, noted that Chinese vessel display different conduct when encountering multilateral rather than purely Philippine patrols.
"We have noticed a slight change in the behavior of the [People's Liberation Army] Navy, with those maritime militia, each time we have a multilateral maritime activity," Trinidad said at a forum by the Stratbase Group.
China's maritime forces, including its warships and shadowy maritime militia vessels, have not displayed coercive or aggressive behavior before, during and after the Philippines' joint patrols in the disputed waters, Trinidad told reporters.
The Navy has conducted 10 joint maritime activities this year with various international partners, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Vietnam, Canada, United States, United Kingdom, and France.
At a press conference on October 22, Trinidad said more joint drills are planned. "We can expect more of that in the coming days... [But] we do not give advance notice on future operations," he said.
Self-reliant defense posture
Trinidad shared the Navy's observation while emphasizing the Philippines' plans to pursue further maritime cooperation while working toward eventual self-reliance.
He added that partnerships with "like-minded navies" allow the Philippines to maintain its maritime defense while developing its own defense capacity. "This would allow us to bide time as we continue developing our capabilities," he said.
The Navy said in September that two Chinese warships tailed the Philippines' joint drills with the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Trinidad said, however, that China had "behaved" during the drills.
Restraint as strategy
Beijing does not recognize the 2016 ruling that invalidated its so-called nine-dash line claim to the South China Sea. While a draft South China Sea code of conduct has been long in the works between Beijing and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines believes China is responsible for delaying the long-sought document.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said "good faith discussions" with China on the regional code of conduct is unlikely to happen.
Over the past year, Chinese forces have increasingly shadowed or block Philippine ships to prevent them from conducting patrols or resupply missions to its outposts in the West Philippine Sea. This refers to the country's 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.
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The most violent altercation between Chinese and Philippine forces occurred on June 17 when Chinese forces assaulted Philippine troops and seized their weapons.
The military has been working on updating its rules of engagement to prevent unnecessary escalation of violence during encounters with foreign powers at sea, Trinidad said.
He cited the June 17 incident as an example of how "a single shot would have escalated things [out of control]."
"Our troops right now are very well aware that the use of force is not allowed in mission accomplishment," he said.
The Philippines is implementing a "persistent presence" strategy in the West Philippine Sea, which Trinidad likened to counter-insurgency tactics. "Just as insurgency thrives where government presence is absent, we need to have a persistent presence in the West Philippine Sea," he said.
Trinidad said these developments align with the military's shift from internal security to external defense, following President Marcos Jr.'s directive last year to prioritize territorial defense.