The Philippine Navy (PN) and the United States Navy (USN) sailed together anew in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in a move that will gauge China’s response amid efforts to de-escalate tension in the contested waters. PN patrol ship BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS16) and USN littoral combat ship USS Mobile (LCS 26) performed a bilateral maritime cooperative activity (MCA) in the waters west of Palawan inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on Wednesday, July 31, a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a $500-million aid to the Philippine military.

Sadongdong, M., & Pedrajas, J. (2024, August 2). PH, US navies hold joint sail; China assails $500-M aid. Manila Bulletin, pp. 1, 4.