In August, the Philippine military announced that it had suspended an exchange program to dispatch its military personnel to China in the South China Sea, which is disputed by China, after a military transport ship fired water cannons from a Chinese coast guard vessel.
Chief of Staff Browner, the head of the Philippine military's uniformed group, held a press conference in the capital Manila on the 19th and announced that the exchange program to dispatch Filipino military personnel to China has been suspended since August.
As for the reason for the suspension, he explained that it was caused by an incident in August when a Philippine military transport vessel and a coast guard patrol boat fired water cannons from a Chinese coast guard vessel in the waters of the Spratly Islands, the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea.
In response to the water cannon firing, the Philippine government strongly protested by summoning the Chinese ambassador, while the Chinese side justified the response by saying that the Philippine authorities "let the ship enter this area without permission and did not listen to the warning."
The exchange program between the Philippine and Chinese forces began in 8, and every year about five military personnel from the Philippines were dispatched to receive training for a period of six months to one year.
In the South China Sea, conflicts between the two countries, such as the Chinese side irradiating Philippine government vessels with lasers and obstructing navigation, have occurred one after another, deepening the confrontation, casting a shadow over military-to-military exchanges.