Engagement in multilateral West Philippine Sea activity enhances regional stability - New Zealand

Metro Manila, Philippines—New Zealand’s participation in the multilateral maritime cooperative activity (MMCA) is a vital step in boosting defense cooperation in the South China Sea, its military said.

The Royal New Zealand Navy's maritime sustainment vessel, HMNZS Aotearoa, took part in the naval exercises with counterparts from Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States on Sept. 28 in the West Philippine Sea.

“The MMCA provides an opportunity for participating countries to enhance interoperability in a maritime context,” a spokesperson from the New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) told NewsWatch Plus.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said the five navies engaged in pre-sail briefings, communication exercises, cross-deck exercises, division tactics/officer of the watch drills, photographic exercises, replenishment at sea approaches, maritime domain awareness exercises, and contact reporting.

“Defense cooperation with our regional partners is a standard practice,” the NZDF spokesperson said in his statement.

The New Zealand government said the MMCA was “an opportunity for participants to reinforce their defense cooperation and support regional stability, all while adhering to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

The HMNZS Aotearoa has been deployed in the Indo-Pacific region since June.

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark raised concerns about the implications and costs associated with New Zealand's participation in maritime exercises. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), she stated, “As well as NZ Navy sending a tanker to support an Australian destroyer sailing through the Taiwan Strait last week…it’s now participating in exercises with US & others in the Philippine Sea. What is the real cost of NZ Govt realignment with US strategies?” said Clark in a post on X (former Twitter).

The New Zealand government has yet to respond to Clark's remarks.