A Chinese Navy warship of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is spotted near Philippine and United States vessels during this week’s 15th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) with Japan in the West Philippine Sea.

China’s Navy vessels were consistently spotted near Philippine and American Navy ships throughout the four-day MMCA, which was conducted from Monday, February 23, to Thursday, February 26.

BRP Antonio Luna of the Philippine Navy that joint the MMCA three countries joint exercises reach the waters of northern Batanes.

Aircraft from the allied nations took part in a friendly flight near the Bashi Channel—a waterway separating the Philippines from Taiwan.

The Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Gabriela Silang, and the US Navy’s USS Dewey, meanwhile, sailed towards the northern tip of Batanes for joint maritime drills.

On Monday, Februrary 23, the Philippine Navy monitored the presence of China’s Jiangkai II-class missile frigate Liuzhou 573.

Meanwhile, the guided-missile destroyer Hefei 174 of the PLA Navy was seen a few nautical miles away from the Philippine and US vessels traversing northern Batanes waters, and even near Bajo de Masinloc, from the second up to the last day of the MMCA.

BRP Antonio Luna commanding officer Capt. Jennifer Monforte said they didn’t issue a radio challenge to us. Nevertheless, their presence is illegal because they’re inside the EEZ of the Philippines and they followed us to Batanes.

He noted that the presence of any PLA Navy ship in the Batanes area is “not normal.”

Monforte also clarified that the MMCA reaching near the Bashi Channel—the waterway separating the Philippines from Taiwan—should not be seen as a provocation of other countries.

China claims self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory.

It also has expansive claims in the South China Sea, including waters within the Philippines’ EEZ.