The French Navy has sent one of its stealth ships to the Philippines for a goodwill visit, adding to the list of visiting militaries such as the United States, Japan and Australia— all of which are advocates of freedom of navigation in the disputed sea in Southeast Asia that China wants to have full control.
This developed as Japan agreed to lease military aircraft to the Philippines in another sign of deepening security ties between the two countries to counter China’s increasing regional infouence.
Philippine Navy spokesman Captain Lued Lincuna said the French Navy ship Guepratte (F714) will be arriving on May 4 at Pier 15, South Harbor, Manila.
Skippered by female commander Claire Pothier, the warship will stay in the country until May 7.
Guepratte is a multi-mission La Fayette-class stealth frigate whose visit will involve a series of confidence building engagements between the two navies including a goodwill soccer game.
Lincuna said the French Navy’s mission is also for “sustained promotion of peace and stability, and enhancement of maritime cooperation through naval diplomacy and camaraderie.”
Meanwhile, the lese agreement was made on Monday during telephone talks between Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani and his Philippine counterpart Voltaire Gazmin.
Under the accord, Tokyo will lease up to five TC-90 training airplanes and help Manila train pilots and aircraft mechanics, the Japanese ministry said. The planes can be used as surveillance aircraft, according to local media.
It will be Japan’s first lease of its Self-Defence Forces’ aircraft to another country after it recently lifted a self-imposed ban on weapons exports.
“We agreed that it is important for all the countries in the region to strengthen cooperation in order to maintain peace and stability of the South China Sea,” Nakatani told reporters.
“We believe that improving the Philippines’ capability will lead to stability in the region,” he added.
The TC-90 is capable of flying some 1,900 kilometres (1,180 miles), roughly double the flight range of the Philippine navy’s aircraft, Kyodo News said.
The Philippines has been seeking to strengthen ties with Japan, its former World War II rival, as tensions mount over disputed South China Sea waters, almost all of which are claimed by China. The southeast Asian country has a severely under-equipped military.
Aside from the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the contested waterway.
Japan has its own dispute with China in the East China Sea over uninhabited islands that it administers but that are also claimed by Beijing.
A Japanese warship last month sailed into a Philippine port near disputed South China Sea waters while Tokyo agreed in February to supply Manila with military hardware, which may include anti-submarine reconnaissance aircraft and radar technology. With AFP