Australia to hold more patrols with Manila in South China Sea

Australia has a security interest in the South China Sea and will work more closely with the Philippines on joint patrols, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said yesterday as he observed military exercises with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
More than 2,000 Australian and Philippine defence personnel, as well as US Marines, are participating in amphibious landing and air assault drills, with two Australian navy vessels, HMAS Canberra and HMAS ANZAC, conducting bilateral exercises with the Philippine navy.
The joint exercises, a first for the two nations, come amid renewed tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea.
Marcos spoke to journalists after yesterday’s beach landing drill in Zambales, near the South China Sea, which he watched with binoculars, accompanied by Marles and Philippines Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.
The Philippines want a closer working relationship with the militaries of regional neighbours, Marcos said.
“It is an important aspect of how we prepare for any eventualities, considering there have been so many events that attest to the volatility of the region,” he said.
At a joint news conference with Teodoro, Marles said the first joint patrols of the South China Sea by the two navies would “happen soon”.
The expanded bilateral activities could eventually include “other countries committed to sustaining peace and security in our region,” they said.
Marles reiterated support for the 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated sweeping Chinese claims to the South China Sea and said: “We are two countries committed to an idea of a world in which disputes are determined by reference to international laws.”