NATO Aircraft Carrier Stages Naval Exercise on China's Doorstep

An aircraft carrier sent by France, a NATO member, conducted a bilateral exercise with the Philippines in the contested South China Sea before its historic visit to the country.

Newsweek has emailed both the Chinese defense and foreign ministries for comment.

Why It Matters

The French aircraft carrier, FS Charles de Gaulle, has been deployed for a five-month Indo-Pacific mission since last November. It took part in a war game with American and Japanese aircraft carriers in the Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines earlier this month.

The Philippines, a mutual defense treaty ally of the United States, has territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea that often led to clashes at sea between their maritime forces. It has frequently conducted war games with the U.S. and other Western countries.

What To Know

The Philippine military and the French navy on Friday held a drill known as Maritime Cooperative Activity in the West Philippine Sea, which refers to the waters in the South China Sea that fall within the Philippine 200-nautical-mile [230-mile] exclusive economic zone.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said air and naval forces from two nations, including fighter aircraft and ships assigned to the Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group, conducted activities to enhance their "interoperability, communication, and defense capabilities."

This marked the third Maritime Cooperative Activity executed by the Philippines and its allies and partners in the South China Sea this month; countries included the U.S., Australia, Canada, and Japan. A Chinese warship was spotted shadowing one of the naval exercises.

Following the bilateral exercise, the French aircraft carrier and its four escorting ships, which included three destroyers and one replenishment ship, docked in Subic Bay and Manila for an "unprecedented stopover," the French Embassy in the Philippines said on X, formerly Twitter.

This aircraft carrier's visit reinforced the "enhanced maritime and defense cooperation" between France and the Philippines, the French Embassy added. It also serves as a testament to the commitment made by Paris toward a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

"We aim to deepen our cooperation with regional partners with whom we share common values such as upholding international law and ensuring freedom of navigation in shared maritime spaces," Marie Fontanel, French ambassador to Manila, said on Sunday.

What People Are Saying

The French Embassy in the Philippines said in a statement on Friday: "The arrival of the [French Carrier Strike Group] in Subic Bay and Manila is part of the framework of the letter of intent signed in December 2023 between France and the Philippines …[which] aims in particular at developing military cooperation and interactions between the armed forces of the two countries."

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a statement on Friday: "The successive conduct of [Maritime Cooperative Activity] with other like-minded nations underscores the growing international focus on maritime security in the West Philippine Sea and aims to strengthen interoperability and defense capabilities among ally and partner nations."

File photo: The French aircraft carrier FS "Charles de Gaulle" docks in Subic Bay, northwest of Manila, the Philippines, on February 23, 2025. Joeal Calupitan/AP Photo

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen whether the nuclear-powered French aircraft carrier will patrol or conduct any further exercises in the South China Sea after the visit to the Philippines.