Manila | Tuesday | January 28, 2025
Coast guard and fisheries officials from the Philippines, United States, Vietnam, and Indonesia recently conducted joint maritime law enforcement training aimed at improving their ability to respond to maritime threats, the US Embassy in Manila reported on Monday. The two-week training, held on Mindanao, a southern island in the Philippines, ran from January 13 to 24 and included exercises in vessel boarding, arrest techniques, maritime law, evidence collection and preservation, safety protocols, and risk mitigation. The program represents a regional effort to strengthen cooperation and capabilities among countries with overlapping interests in maintaining peace and security in contested waters.
The training comes amid growing concerns over escalating maritime tensions, particularly in the South China Sea, where competing territorial claims have led to frequent confrontations between China and neighboring countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia. In this strategic and resource-rich waterway, China’s assertive actions have raised alarms among Southeast Asian nations and their allies. The training did not directly reference China, but its timing reflects shared concerns about maritime security and the need for coordinated responses to threats in the region.
“Together, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that our maritime sovereignty remains a zone of peace, safety, and prosperity for all,” said Philippine Coast Guard District Commander Rejard V. Marfe in a statement released by the US Embassy. He described the training as “invaluable” for equipping maritime forces to address evolving threats. The collaboration also included observers from the Australian Border Force, alongside coast guard officials, customs enforcers, and fisheries surveillance personnel, highlighting the international interest in building a unified front to uphold maritime law and sovereignty.
China’s growing naval and coast guard presence has added to the urgency of such joint training efforts. Over the past decade, Beijing has aggressively expanded its maritime reach, constructing artificial islands, deploying advanced naval assets, and enforcing its sweeping claims over the South China Sea—claims that are contested by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. This has led to frequent incidents of harassment, blockades, and violent confrontations at sea.
In October, Vietnam accused China of a “brutal” attack involving 10 Vietnamese fishermen, who were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of fishing equipment worth thousands of dollars. Around the same time, Indonesia reported three separate incidents in which its forces intercepted and drove away a Chinese coast guard ship from contested waters in the South China Sea. Similarly, Philippine vessels have faced harassment and blockades near critical reefs and shoals, most notably at Second Thomas Shoal, where a Chinese coast guard vessel recently used water cannons to prevent the resupply of a Philippine outpost.
These incidents have underscored the importance of building regional capabilities and strengthening cooperation among Southeast Asian nations and their partners. By conducting joint exercises, countries in the region aim to improve their ability to respond collectively to maritime challenges, including illegal fishing, territorial incursions, and other threats to maritime security. The presence of the United States, Australia, and other international partners highlights the strategic significance of ensuring stability in this vital region, where billions of dollars in global trade pass annually.
Beyond addressing immediate security concerns, the training also promotes long-term cooperation by fostering trust and interoperability among the participating nations. As tensions in the South China Sea show no signs of abating, such efforts are becoming increasingly vital to safeguard the sovereignty, safety, and prosperity of the region’s maritime territories.