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2w ago

Philippines, U.S., Australia and Canada Complete EEZ Drills as Chinese Warships Shadow Near Scarborough Shoal

China framed the activity as destabilizing to reinforce its contested maritime claims.

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Philippine sailors aboard the guided-missile frigate BRP Jose Rizal attend to the national flag during the multilateral maritime cooperative activity held with Australia and Canada in the South China Sea on September 2-3, 2025.
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Overview

  • The two-day multilateral maritime cooperative activity took place inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone off Zambales and included personnel exchanges, at-sea resupply and coordinated anti-submarine training.
  • Philippine forces said a Luyang-class (Type 052) destroyer and a Jiangkai-class (Type 054) frigate shadowed the flotilla roughly 40 nautical miles southeast of Scarborough Shoal.
  • Participating assets included BRP Jose Rizal, Australia’s HMAS Brisbane, Canada’s HMCS Ville de Québec, helicopters, and P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft from Australia and the U.S. 7th Fleet.
  • China’s Southern Theater Command condemned the drills as destabilizing, described its own activity as a routine deterrence patrol, and said forces were on high alert to safeguard sovereignty.
  • The U.S. 7th Fleet highlighted support for a free and open Indo-Pacific and Australia reiterated backing for the 2016 arbitral award, with recent collisions in the area underscoring the risk of miscalculation.