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The Philippine Air Force NC212i provides logistics support during the simulated island attack exercise as part of the AJEX DAGIT-PA 08-2024 on November 6 at Kota Island in the West Philippine Sea.
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) showed indifference over the presence of Chinese warships during Wednesday’s maritime exercises in the West Philippine Sea.
Navy personnel aboard the BRP Ramon Alcaraz carried out what they call a “mechanized attack” during the mock reenlistment exercise on Kota Island, a maritime component 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Pagasa Island.
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The Philippine Air Force NC212i later conducted a drop-off for the troops recapturing Kota Island during the exercises.
READ: AFP conducts simulated island defense exercises in the West Philippine Sea
“We are warning our neighbors and even other external forces that we are capable of defending our islands,” AFP chief general Romeo Brawner Jr. said, partly in Filipino, during an interview after the exercises.
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During the exercises, two warships from the People’s Liberation Army and Navy and four Chinese research ships were monitored in the area.
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This is the eighth edition of the AFP’s annual Joint Exercise Dagat-Langit-Lupa (AJEX-DAGITPA), but Brawner noted that this was the first time the exercises were held on Kota Island.
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“We’re already expecting it,” Brawner said. “This is the first time we did the exercises in this area, they seemed curious about what we were doing.”
READ: AFP branch services conduct exercises overlooking the West Philippine Sea, Taiwan
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Brawner said the PLAN warships and research vessels did not interrupt the exercise and merely appeared to observe the exercises.
Beijing’s presence is based on its assertion of sovereignty in virtually the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, even though such claim has been effectively invalidated by the July 2016 arbitration award.
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“It adds realism to the exercise,” Brawner further said of the Chinese presence at the exercises.
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