MANILA: Joint maritime and air patrols in the South China Sea between the Philippines and the United States military were launched on Tuesday, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said, describing it as a 鈥渟ignificant initiative.鈥�
The Philippine leader鈥檚 announcement comes amid a rapid strengthening of ties this year between the two defense treaty allies, including a decision to almost double the number of Philippine bases accessible to the US military.
鈥淭his significant initiative is a testament to our commitment to bolster the interoperability of our military forces in conducting maritime and air patrols,鈥� Marcos said on social media platform X.
The announcement comes a day after Marcos told a forum in Hawaii the situation in the South China Sea had become more 鈥渄ire than it was before,鈥� saying the Chinese military have inched closer to Philippine coastline.
China claims most of the South China Sea through a 鈥渘ine-dash line鈥� that stretches as far as 1,500km (900 miles) south of its mainland, cutting into the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of rival claimants such as Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Marcos had rekindled Manila鈥檚 ties with Washington after its testy relationship with a predecessor who had pivoted closer to China, despite Beijing developing military installations on manmade islands within the Philippines鈥� exclusive economic zone.
Relations with China have soared, with repeated standoffs between Chinese and Filipino vessels in waters claimed by both countries, prompting heated rhetoric between them and concerns of an escalation.