Chinese Military Expresses Displeasure Over Indian Naval Ship’s Drills With Philippines Navy

The Chinese military said Thursday that defense cooperation between different countries should not hurt the interests of third countries or threaten regional peace. They were angry about the recent naval drills between the navies of India and the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea.

When asked by Chinese official media about plans for naval and air drills between France and the Philippine Navy and naval exercises between an Indian ship and a Philippine ship, Senior Col Wu Qian, spokesman for the Chinese Defense Ministry, said that China had heard about them.

He said that China has always made it clear that defense and security cooperation between countries must not hurt the interests of third parties or threaten peace and stability in the area.

China doesn’t like it when the Philippines and other countries work together on military issues. Recently, China’s coastguard ships fought with Philippine navy ships to show that Beijing controls parts of the disputed South China Sea that Manila also claims.

This month, the Philippines Navy said that Chinese ships attacked its ships with water guns.

China says the South China Sea is mostly its own. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan all say they own parts of the area as well.

Earlier this month, while in the Philippines, INS Kadmatt took part in a maritime drill in the South China Sea with BRP Ramon Alcaraz, a Philippine Navy patrol boat that goes out to sea.

Wang did not name any specific country when he said that the maritime disagreement between China and the Philippines is between Beijing and Manila and that a third party has no right to get involved.

He said that China would remain very alert and take all the necessary steps to protect its national sovereignty, security, and marine rights and interests.

Wu said that the claim that Chinese coastguard ships fired water cannons at Philippine ships was just a bunch of false information.

Even though China warned them many times not to, the Philippines kept sending a ship into the waters that China claimed. The Philippines ship hit and damaged a Chinese coastguard ship, in his words.

This kind of behavior is very dangerous and not at all respectable. He said that the China Coast Guard did what the law required them to do and that they were completely right and legal.

Wu said that China is very upset about the US’s criticism of acts by Chinese coastguard ships against Philippine ships and their reference to Washington’s obligations under the Mutual Defense Treaty with Manila. China is strongly against these kinds of comments.

He said again that China has clear control over the places that Manila claims as its own. He also said that the US was encouraging the Philippines to make China angry.