After Beijing’s deployment of Chinese aircraft in the Philippine Sea, Manila described China’s Navy as inexperienced in engaging in war.
In an interview on Sunday, Philippine Navy spokesperson on the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, even compared the Asian superpower to the United States, which he claimed still encounters issues even with “seven or eight decades” of experience in war.
“The PLA Navy has not yet been tested in war and they act as if they are something. So I told our compatriots that the PLA Navy is still inexperienced. Although they are more advanced than us, it will be a long time before they reach the operational level of their aircraft carriers,” Trinidad said.
Trinidad also explained China’s “doctrine” and why they act that way in the region.
“We can better understand China’s moves if we know their thinking about war. Their doctrines are number one, if you are strong, show you are weak; number two, if you are weak, show you are strong, say it,” he explained.
“In Shandong and throughout the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea, they are loud and they show that they are strong, but the truth about their aircraft carriers is that they need decades to perfect naval warfare using aircraft carriers,” Trinidad continued.
Last July 10, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Colonel Margareth Padilla described the deployment of a Chinese carrier strike group in the Philippine Sea as “concerning.”
Prior to this event, Japan’s Joint Staff Office said that according to a United States Naval Institute report, the PLA-N Shandong’s carrier strike group operated in the Philippine Sea as part of annual drills conducted by China and Russia.
The report on the bilateral drills was later confirmed by AFP Public Affairs Chief Colonel Xerxes Trinidad.
Manila Standard sought comments from the Chinese Embassy who is still yet to respond as of press time.
