China’s expansion in South China Sea magnet for other navies

MANILA, Philippines — China’s massive military expansion in the South China Sea is now attracting other navies across the globe to sail in the disputed region.

In what appears to be a test of China’s reaction, a French frigate is dropping anchor at Manila’s South Harbor on Sunday while a British warship is due to set sail in the South China Sea anytime this month.

Philippine Navy (PN) spokesman Capt. Lued Lincuna said the French Navy Ship (FNS) Vendemiaire (F734) with one helicopter onboard will be docking at Pier 15 on Sunday for a five-day goodwill visit.

Lincuna said the PN will be rendering the customary welcoming arrival honors for the Floreal-class light surveillance frigate of the French Marine Nationale under Commander Alexander Blonce.

The designated PN officials will conduct a port briefing on security and health of the crewmembers of the visiting French warship upon arrival. The warship is now en route to Manila from Brunei.

Meanwhile, a British warship is also scheduled to steam from Australia to the South China Sea anytime this month to assert freedom of navigation rights within the highly Chinese militarized region.

Published reports quoted British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson as saying that HMS Sutherland, an anti-submarine frigate, is coming from Australia. The ship will be sailing in the South China Sea on her way back to France.

“We absolutely support the US approach on this, we very much support what the US has been doing,” Williamson was quoted in wire reports while visiting Australia last month.

Williamson was apparently referring to the ongoing South China Sea Freedom of Navigation and Operations (FONOPs) being conducted by the US Navy in the region.

China, through its uncharted nine-dash-line, is claiming almost 90 percent of the sea as an integral part of its maritime domain.

Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province, is also claiming maritime and territorial rights on the waters and islands within the Spratlys archipelago while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have overlapping claims.

All but Brunei have troops deployed in the Spratlys, with China now clearly having an upper hand as it has established three major air and naval bases on three of the seven artificial islands it has created in the region.

Currently, a number of US warships are operating in the disputed region in line with growing regional and global concerns that China, with its heavy naval and air presence in contested area, is now headed to dominate the entire South China Sea.

Openly throwing support to the US Navy’s FONOPs aimed at maintaining and upholding rules-based order in the disputed region are Australia, Japan and India.