The Philippines and Australia are mulling to conduct joint maritime patrol operations in the South China Sea (SCS) amid China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

This was revealed by Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles in a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Wednesday, Feb. 22, after his bilateral meeting with Department of National Defense Officer in Charge (DND-OIC) Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr.

“We’re also looking at ways in which we can pursue joint patrols together in the South China Sea. We’re looking at ways in which we can do war exercises together,” Marles said.

Marles made the remark in wake of the pointing of a laser by a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel towards a Philippine Coast Guard vessel off the Ayungin Shoal in the WPS last Feb. 6.

According to Marles, both Australia and the Philippines are “completely committed” to a global rules-based order when dealing with maritime issues in the SCS.

“It is deeply connected to our respective national interest that the rules of the road which they apply to a body of water such as the South China Sea, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the freedom of navigation, freedom of overfly – all of these principles are completely central to our national interests and to our collective security,” he noted.

For his part, Galvez said joint patrols between the Philippines and Australia are no longer new since such initiative was already done in the past years at the Celebes Sea and Sulu Sea.

He said these bilateral patrols paved the way for the creation of an even better Philippine trilateral maritime security agreement with Malaysia and Indonesia to keep watch over the three nations’ maritime borders.

“The joint patrols that we have done can be also given attention by both countries,” Galvez said.

As this developed, United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III said he spoke with Galvez on Wednesday to discuss "concerning developments in the South China Sea," particularly the laser-pointing incident by the China Coast Guard.

"The two leaders discussed proposals to deepen operational cooperation and enhance the United States and the Philippines' shared security, including the recent decision to resume combined maritime activities in the South China Sea," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a press handout released by the US Department of Defense.

It was earlier announced that the US and Philippines are planning to hold joint patrol operations in the SCS.

Trainings 

Aside from joint patrols operations, Marles and Galvez said that both countries’ militaries will be conducting more military trainings and war exercises to sustain their counter-terrorism and maritime security cooperation.

On Monday, the Philippine Army and the Australian Defense Force kicked off the Philippine- Australia Army-to-Army Exercise in Maguindanao del Norte.

“The Philippines and Australia believe the importance of the collaboration among like-minded security partners to achieve a collective security in defense, that’s the word of our honorable visitor, in the region where nations could freely exercise their sovereign rights while pursuing stability and prosperity in the Asia Pacific and Indo-Pacific region,” Galvez said.

“We are seeing a reduction in the threat of terrorism. Obviously, we can't be sanguine about this which is why it's really important that this work continues because that's the way in which we ensure that there is the capability in the Armed Forces of the Philippines to make sure that the current favorable situation can be maintained,” Marles noted. 

Finally, Merles and Galvez also discussed the establishment of an annual defense ministerial meeting (DMM) between the Philippines and Australia which will serve as an avenue where both countries can communicate about their defense partnership.