Two Chinese warships were monitored during the country’s joint maritime patrol with India in the West Philippine Sea, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) confirmed on Monday.
On Sunday, Indian Navy vessels—guided missile destroyer INS Delhi, anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kiltan, and fleet tanker INS Shakti—conducted a joint sail with the Philippine Navy’s guided missile frigate BRP Miguel Malvar.
According to Lt. Col. John Paul Salgado, assistant chief of the AFP Public Affairs Office, the Philippine vessel detected two People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships—a Jiangkai II-class frigate with bow number 551, and a Luyang-class destroyer with bow number 161.
The Jiangkai-class frigate was observed at a distance of 10 nautical miles, while the Luyang-class destroyer was spotted 15 nautical miles from BRP Miguel Malvar, Salgado said.
Nevertheless, he noted that the maritime cooperative activity “proceeded without interference from the PLA-N vessels.”
“However, they are being continuously monitored and tracked,” Salgado added in a statement.
