The Russian naval formation officially began a friendly visit to the Philippines on the 3rd, and plans to hold the first joint maritime exercise with the Philippines. Russian media called this an "unprecedented" naval exchange between the two countries.
A the State Council spokesman said that the US side was "fine with it". The US military announced that the battle group of the aircraft carrier "carl vinson" would set off as soon as 5th for routine deployment in the western Pacific.
[First joint exercise]
The Russian Navy Pacific Fleet "Admiral Tributs" anti-submarine destroyer and "Boris Butoma" supply ship arrived at Nangang Wharf in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, on the 2nd, and the Philippine side held a welcoming ceremony on the 3rd.
Rear Admiral Edward mikhailov, deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet led by Russia, announced that on the last day of the visit, namely, the 7th, the two sides will hold a joint anti-piracy and anti-terrorism exercise. He said, "We are very confident" that Russia and the Philippines will hold such drills "in the future", "maybe just drilling" or just operating some weapon systems.
The Philippine army is backward in equipment and lack of funds, and it is often stretched out when dealing with Abu Sayyaf and other anti-government forces. The latter often attack fishing boats, merchant ships and cruise ships from China, Malaysia and Indonesia in the Sulu Sea and its nearby waters, kidnap hostages, extort ransom, and attack military and political targets in the Philippines from time to time.
Mikhailov told Philippine media reporters after the welcoming ceremony that Russia can help the Philippines through joint combat drills. "We are very experienced in dealing with these (threats). We will share knowledge with you on how to deal with these problems and how to solve the problems of piracy and terrorism. "
He added that the Russian navy had previously conducted similar exercises with the Indonesian navy.
"You can choose … … Cooperate with the United States, or cooperate with Russia, "mikhailov said," but we can help you in any way you need. "
Data Map: The anti-submarine destroyer Admiral Tributs.
[Russia-Philippines security cooperation]
According to the Associated Press, this is the third time that a Russian naval vessel has visited the Philippines, and it is the first time since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took office. According to a Philippine military spokesman, Russian naval vessels had briefly docked in the Philippines for replenishment, but the exchange activities between the two armies were the first time in recent years.
After taking office at the end of June last year, Duterte drastically adjusted his foreign policy in an attempt to reduce his dependence on the United States. Last August, Russian and Philippine officials met in Manila, and the two countries began to negotiate a defense cooperation agreement. In December, Philippine Defense Minister Delphine Lorenzana and Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasai visited Moscow to discuss issues such as economy, trade and military cooperation, in preparation for Duterte’s visit to Russia in April and May this year.
Lorenzana said after his visit to Russia that the Philippine military is considering buying a batch of sniper rifles from Russia.
Wang Xiaowei, a foreign professor at Moscow University and a researcher at the European Studies Center of China University of Political Science and Law, told Xinhua that after Duterte took office, the cooperation between the Philippines and Russia in the military and security fields showed a rapid development trend. The Philippines was very interested in buying Russian-made arms such as helicopter gunships and armored equipment, and hoped to get military technology transfer.
On the other hand, although the military purchase contract that the Philippine side intends to sign will not be too big, it may only be hundreds of millions of dollars. Russia is still very active in opening up the Philippine market and is even willing to provide loans for this.
Wang Xiaowei believes that Russia has adjusted its military strategy since last year and intends to rebuild its overseas military bases. Before that, it was reported that Russia wanted to restart its bases in Cuba and Cam Ranh Bay, and the Philippine side just had the idea of reusing subic bay, where the former US naval base was located, and did not rule out the possibility of setting up a Russian military base in subic bay in the future.
[Russia deliberately keeps a low profile]
The State Council spokesman John Kirby was asked at a regular press conference on the 3rd local time what he thought of the possible joint exercise between Russia and the Philippines, saying that it was a matter for the Russian and Philippine governments, and the US side was "fine with it".
Kirby said that bilateral relations between countries do not need "binary opposition", and every nation-state has the right to seek and develop its own bilateral relations. He believes that if Russia and the Philippines hold military exercises, it will not affect how the US evaluates the importance of US-Philippines relations.
Wang Xiaowei believes that after US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20th, Russia-US relations and Philippine-US relations may be significantly improved. In particular, Russia hopes to create a friendly atmosphere for the resumption of Russia-US relations, keeping a low profile for the warship’s visit to the Philippines in general, and making no fanfare for possible military cooperation between Russia and the Philippines in the future. Moreover, there are forces in the Philippines that restrict Duterte from changing his policy toward the United States. Therefore, the symbolic significance of this military exchange between Russia and the Philippines is greater than the actual significance.
In addition, the US Navy’s Third Fleet announced on the 3rd that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "carl vinson" is scheduled to depart from the home port of San Diego, California, for the western Pacific Ocean from the 5th to the 6th, and take over the tasks of the nuclear aircraft carrier "Ronald Reagan" of the Seventh Fleet, which is undergoing maintenance, including training, exercises and visits.
Although the US military said that this was a "routine dispatch", some military media pointed out that at present, the war in the Middle East is tense, and the aircraft carriers rotated by the United States are also not "on duty", while the Pentagon would rather "empty" the Persian Gulf for a short time than see the US aircraft carriers in the western Pacific. The strategic priority can be seen.
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