October 28, 2026

Recently, during a new round of multilateral maritime cooperative activity involving the US, Japan and the Philippines, Manila dispatched a vessel to follow the Liaoning aircraft carrier group. At most, the Philippine vessel trailed the Chinese carrier group from a distance and snapped a few photos. Yet the Philippine side hyped this up as an operation to "track" and "monitor" the Chinese navy. Judging solely by the rhetoric of some Philippine military figures and media outlets, one might assume that Manila had deployed a formidable naval force. But once all the relevant facts are considered, the true nature of this guilty-minded performance becomes clear.

The aircraft carrier Liaoning's training activities in the relevant waters of the Western Pacific are routine arrangements under its annual training plan, consistent with international law and international practice, and not directed against any particular country or target. As the group navigated through the high seas and archipelagic sea lanes, it exercised the rights of navigation and passage guaranteed under international law. Throughout the voyage, the group maintained a professional and restrained posture and did not take any hostile action against the Philippines. Even a Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson had to acknowledge that "the movement could still fall within internationally recognized navigational rights."

The BRP Sarangani, the Philippine vessel involved in the operation, was originally a decommissioned patrol and rescue vessel donated by the Taiwan authorities. Given its size, its so-called "tracking" of a large combat formation such as an aircraft carrier group could amount to little more than symbolic shadowing from a distance. It could neither approach the aircraft carrier group nor gather much valuable intelligence, let alone establish any meaningful monitoring capability. The Philippine side is well aware of the consequences of recklessly provoking China, yet it has still pressed ahead with this self-staged farce. The root cause is that certain forces in the Philippines want to stir up trouble in the South China Sea to contain China, but lack the confidence and capabilities to back up any substantive confrontational moves. All they can do is resort to this shoddy performance to bluff and create a false impression of strength.

Read more:

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202610/1373097.shtml