A Canadian warship equipped with an anti-submarine system arrived in Manila Friday, August 2, after earning ire from China when it passed through the Taiwan Strait.
His Majesty Canadian Ship (HMCS) Montreal, belonging to Halifax-class frigate, docked at the Port of Manila and will stay in the country until Tuesday next week.
Its port visit is part of Canada's increasing presence in the Indo-Pacific amid a "volatile" global situation.
Li Xi, spokesman for China's People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Eastern Theater Command, said Montreal's passage on the Taiwan Strait on July 31 "harassed and disrupted the situation and undermined peace and stability" across the area.
But Commander Travis Bain, the ship's commanding officer, said it transited through the Taiwan Strait "lawfully."
"In doing so, we followed all the rules and regulations as we get. The conduct from the Chinese, the PLA, as well as other navies, was professional as we proceeded through, and we proceeded southbound towards our visit in Manila," Bain added.
Before its deployment to the Indo-Pacific, Montreal was navigating the Atlantic. Then it joined two other Canadian warships—HMCS Ottawa and Vancouver—in the region.
The presence of three Canadian warships in the region is its largest in terms of number since the launching of its Indo-Pacific strategy that has become more focused on developments in North Korea, Taiwan Strait, and East and South China Seas.
"It's a commitment to the rules-based international order... I really believe that commitment changed the reality, practically speaking," Canadian Ambassador to Manila David Hartman said at a press conference aboard the ship.
"This region of the world, the Indo-Pacific, is only going to become more and more important for the future. This is increasingly becoming the center of gravity of global economic growth... We have to make sure that the international order, which sustains and underpins our ability to be able to engage on a global basis to trade with the world, continues to exist," he added.
Hartman said it is willing to do more in terms of boosting its presence in the region, but he believed it is already a lot.
"[But] it all depends on circumstances... The world is a very volatile place right now," he said.
Montreal's deployment is part of Canada's Operation HORIZON, its forward presence to promote peace and stability in support of a rules-based international order in some of the world's busiest waterways.
"The reason why we are here is to contribute towards a free and open Indo-Pacific.. And the best way to do that, frankly, is to utilize, you know, the sea lanes, right to utilize that territory, to be able to exercise all of those rights that we have all subscribed to," Hartman said.
Montreal is one of the 12 ships belonging to Halifax-class frigates. Like others from the same class, it features an extensive anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare weapons and sensors to complement its anti-air warfare defense.
Aboard the ship is a CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopter, an air detachment that conducts anti-submarine warfare, surveillance, and search and rescue missions for the Royal Canadian Navy.
"The Royal Canadian Navy has a long history of being leaders in anti-submarine warfare during the Second World War. And we continue to demonstrate a high level of understanding on underwater operations that goes forward detection of submarines and counter submarine vendors," Bain said.
Montreal may also join the Philippines, the US, Japan and Australia in its next maritime cooperative activity (MCA) in the West Philippine Sea as Hartman is looking forward to develop its military engagement with Manila.
"As we deepen our engagement from a military perspective, we're looking to more and more of that opportunities for interoperability, greater efficiency," Hartman said.