China conducts military patrol as PH welcomes Hegseth, holds joint sail with US, Japan

BEIJING - China's military said it had conducted a patrol in the South China Sea on Friday, the day United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Washington's commitment to the Philippines.

A spokesman for the Southern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army said on Saturday that the Philippines frequently enlisted foreign countries to organize "joint patrols" and "disseminated illegal claims" in the region, destabilizing the area.

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

GMA News Online contacted Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. for comment but it has yet to receive a reply as of posting time.

Navies from the Philippines, US, and Japan conducted a joint sail in the Indo-Pacific area on Friday, Hegseth has said.

The AFP said that the Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) was conducted by the three nations in the West Philippine Sea.

Brawner said the MMCA exercises would further enhance interoperability and strengthen the combined capabilities of participating forces.

"Every iteration strengthens our capacity to respond to maritime security challenges while reinforcing our collective ability to safeguard our national interests," said Brawner.

"The MMCA continuously highlights the vital improvements in our coordination, tactics, and shared maritime awareness," he said.

Meanwhile, Hegseth underscored Friday the importance of deterrence amid threats in the South China Sea.

''As we've talked about, peace through strength is a very real thing. Deterrence is necessary around the world, but specifically in this region in your country, considering the threats from the communist Chinese,'' Hegseth told President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. during his courtesy call in Malacañang.

''Friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict to ensure that there's free navigation, whether you call it the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea, we recognize that your country has stand very firm in that location and in defense of your nation,'' he added.

China claims "indisputable sovereignty" over the entire waters of the South China Sea, where undersea gas deposits have been discovered in several areas. Its claims overlap with the offshore territories claimed by Asian neighbors surrounding the South China Sea.

In 2016, however, the Philippines scored a victory against China in a landmark ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The PCA ruled that "there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the nine-dash line."

"[Although] two Chinese navigators and fishermen, as well as those of other States, had historically made use of the islands in the South China Sea, there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or  their  resources," it added.

China has repeatedly said the PCA ruling is "illegal" and "invalid".

Marcos stood his ground that the West Philippine Sea (WPS) belongs to the Filipinos amid China's aggression in the resource-rich region.

West Philippine Sea is the name the Philippines uses to refer to portions of the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone and its jurisdiction. —Reuters/with a report from Ted Cordero/KG, GMA Integrated News