On Feb. 21, 2025, the Charles De Gaulle, a French aircraft carrier, made its inaugural port call at Subic Bay, Philippines as part of the Clemenceau 25 mission, a strategic deployment of the French Carrier Strike Group in the Mediterranean to the Indo-Pacific region. It came to participate in anti-submarine warfare drills and aerial combat training with the Filipino forces in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
Charles De Gaulle is the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier outside the US Navy, which operates two classes of nuclear-powered carriers: the Nimitz-class and the Gerald R. Ford-class. The French carrier is equipped with Rafale fighter jets, E-2C Hawkeye planes and several helicopters.
In December 2023, a letter of intent was signed between Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Sebastien Lecornu, the French defense minister. It aimed to strengthen military interactions, increase joint military exercises and enhance security in the Indo-Pacific region. France has also expressed its interest in equipping the armed forces of the Philippines with advanced military technology.
Amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, this mission aims to strengthen maritime security, bolster strategic ties, increasing defense cooperation with important regional partners.
The French ambassador to the Philippines, Marie Fontanel addressed the need “to contribute to freedom of navigation all over the world including the Indo-Pacific”. Freedom of navigation is of utmost importance in the vital Indo-Pacific region as it is home to some of the world’s most strategic sea lanes and the Malacca Strait. Given the geopolitical tensions, such missions could safeguard the interests of regional stakeholders while also preventing the dominance of any single power that could restrict access and pose a threat to such critical locations.
France, which has 2 million citizens in its overseas territories, aims to protect its interests and sovereignty in the region.
The deployment marked a rare display of French naval power far beyond the mainland and establishing itself as a key maritime player with its long-standing interests in the region. The display served as a deterrent against potential aggressors. Although France clarified that the exercises are not directed against any nation but it is only meant to expand cooperation and build trust among the nations.
The Philippines, on the other hand, has been strengthening its defense partnerships. It has recently forged agreements with Japan to deepen their defense collaboration, strengthen their interoperability and establish mechanisms for military information protection.
The United States, a key defense ally of the Philippines, has promised full assistance despite the shifts in President Donald Trump’s foreign policy.
Australia is the Philippines’ second-largest defense partner after the US. In 2023, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a strategic partnership with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Recently, Japan, Australia, the US, and the Philippines have conducted a ‘multilateral maritime cooperative exercise’ within the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of the Philippines. These partnerships reflect the growing significance of commitment and joint effort to combat rising threats in the Indo-Pacific region.
The challenge
However, Beijing has condemned Manila of “colluding with outside countries to organize so-called joint patrols”, according to Air Force Colonel Tian Junli, spokesperson for Chinese People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command. He implied that such actions undermine regional stability and violate China’s maritime interests.
China claims nearly 90% of the South China Sea through its ‘nine-dash line’ theory, overlapping the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia, which is a direct violation of the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). It explains the Chinese expansionist policy in the South China Sea. It has militarized several artificial islands like Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef and Mischief Reef and transformed them into military bases. China views military patrols and surveillance by other nations as direct interference by foreign powers.
Recently, Australia has condemned the Chinese ‘unsafe’ military conduct when a Chinese fighter jet dropped flares dangerously close to an Australian reconnaissance aircraft which was patrolling the South China Sea. In response,
China accused Australia of deliberate intrusion and endangering Chinese national security.
The way forward
Such strategic collaborations among allied navies could serve as a deterrent against China’s aggressive expansionism in the South China Sea. Their collective strength can become a formidable force.
Due to such joint maritime drills with regional and extra-regional powers, China’s coercive military actions in the West Philippine Sea have begun to decrease.
Further enhancing interoperability among regional powers like India, Japan, and the Philippines in the Indian and Pacific Oceans would reinforce solidarity in ensuring free navigation and adherence to international law.
A balanced approach, combining hard power, strategic ties, and collective strength with diplomatic efforts, economic cooperation, and promotion of a rules-based order, remains the key to long-term stability in the region.
[U.S. Navy photo, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons]
Nandini Mishra is pursuing a Master’s in Defence and Strategic Studies at the University of Lucknow, India. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
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