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Philippines-Australia-Canada 'joint patrol' a provocation, only heightens confrontational tensions: expert

Global Times

By Zhang Wanshi Published: Sep 05, 2025 12:06 AM

Senior Colonel Tian Junli, a spokesperson for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, said that the naval forces of the PLA Southern Theater Command conducted a routine patrol in the South China Sea on Wednesday.

Tian's statement on Thursday was made in response to a joint patrol by the Philippines, Australia, and Canada.

The Philippine Navy deployed the BRP Jose Rizal, its first missile-guided frigate, while Australia sent the HMAS Brisbane, a Hobart-class destroyer, according to Asia News Network. Canada dispatched the HMCS Ville de Québec, a Halifax-class frigate. Maritime patrol aircraft from Canada, CH-148 Cyclone aircraft, the Philippines, AW-159 Wildcat, and Australia, P-8A Poseidon also joined the exercise, the report said.

As the Philippines is rallying external countries for a so-called "joint patrol," which undermines regional peace and stability, the troops of the theater command maintain a high level of readiness at all times and are determined to defend national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, said the spokesperson.

Any attempts to disrupt the South China Sea or create hotspots will not succeed, Tian added.

Similar provocations including multilateral maritime cooperative activity had already been carried out by multiple countries previously, such as Japan, Australia, and Canada. This kind of behavior bears distinct political connotations, exposing their attempt to build a so-called "maritime alliance" in the South China Sea with the aim of countering China, Chen Xiangmiao, a research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday.

However, regarding Australia and Canada, Chen noted that they don't have a strong independent political will in the South China Sea. Their so-called "political will" is not driven primarily by their own national interests, but rather is more influenced by behind-the-scenes pressure from the US.

Chen told the Global Times that such provocations will only heighten the confrontational tensions in the sea, and such joint patrols, which could be seen as the establishment of a security-centered cooperation mechanism in the area, amount to forming a new bloc, and have accelerated the fragmentation of the regional security structure in a certain sense, leading to its disintegration in the region.