MANILA — The Philippine military has monitored two major Chinese naval formations operating near the eastern seaboard of Luzon and outside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), an official said.

In a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said a Chinese amphibious assault ship group was spotted along the eastern seaboard moving toward Palau and Australia. Another formation — a carrier battle group — was detected on the “northeastern part of Luzon close to Okinawa (Japan).”

“The AFP is monitoring developments now on a regional basis,” Trinidad said.

Asked about the composition of the formations, Trinidad said the carrier battle group consisted of the Liaoning aircraft carrier, two escort ships, and one replenishment vessel. The amphibious group was composed of one amphibious assault ship, two escorts, and one replenishment ship.

Trinidad said the movements were detected “over the weekend and last week” amid the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ expanded maritime domain awareness capability following its shift from internal to external defense.

“We have now shifted from ISO (internal security operation) monitoring without letting go of ISO. We are now expanding our monitoring to include the region,” he said. “We look into all sorts of information.”

The development comes as tensions between China and Japan rise after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan could respond to any Chinese military action against Taiwan if it threatened Japan’s security. Okinawa hosts the largest US military presence in the Asia-Pacific. (PNA)