INS Satpura, a Shivalik-class stealth frigate of the Indian Navy, is on a deployment to the South China Sea and western Pacific.

The warship visited Manila, the capital of the Philippines, from 3 to 6 June to improve interoperability between the Indian Navy and the Philippines Navy, the Ministry of Defence has said in a statement.

"During the visit, the Commanding Officer, Captain Saket Khanna called on Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, Deputy Commander of the Philippines Fleet," the Defence Ministry statement says.

"The IN ship was visited by officers and sailors of the Philippines Navy, who were briefed about the indigenous design and construction of the modern stealth frigate. Personnel from both navies also participated in friendly football and basketball matches," the statement reads.

The Philippines and China have a long-running dispute over parts of the South China Sea, almost all of which is claimed and controlled by China.

The dispute in the South China Sea, to which Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also a party, is driven by overlapping claims to land features and the maritime entitlements around them. Over the years, China has built artificial islands in the region and militarised them to solidify its claims and has bullied other claimants, including the Philippines.

In 2016, the International Tribunal in The Hague dismissed China's claims in the South China Sea as part of a ruling in a case brought by the Philippines in 2013. China had refused to participate in the proceedings at the tribunal in the Hague and rejected its ruling in the case.

In recent years, tensions between China and the Philippines over the long-simmering territorial dispute have increased. In November 2021, Chinese coastguard ships blocked and fired water cannons on Philippines supply boats within the country's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Earlier, the Philippines had reported an incursion into its EEZ by around 285 maritime militia vessels from China.

Also Read: Trouble For Chinese Navy In South China Sea? Philippines Accepts BrahMos Offer For Anti-Ship Missile System

INS Satpura

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