Russian warships anchored in the Philippines last week for the first time in 96 years, a sign of intensifying military diplomacy over the disputed South China Sea.
Russian naval officials and diplomats were at pains to insist they were not taking sides between China and the Philippines. Analysts said Moscow could be both expanding its presence in the region and eyeing fresh weapons sales - it has several customers in Southeast Asia already.
In a little-noticed move, the anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleyev, flanked by a naval tug and a large tanker, entered Manila Bay on Tuesday and left on Friday, breaking up its return to Vladivostok, home of Russia's Pacific Fleet, from anti-piracy patrols off the Horn of Africa.
The visit is now resonating in Beijing and across the region, given Moscow's already significant role in Vietnam's naval modernisation. Russia has sold Hanoi its first Kilo-class submarines and rebuilt the strategic port of Cam Ranh Bay, a major Soviet naval and intelligence base at the height of the cold war.
The Russian ambassador to the Philippines, Nikolay Kudashev, appeared to acknowledge the visit's sensitivity, according to local press reports. 'Naturally, we would not like to interfere or to impose in any way our will upon China and the Philippines. They are both our friends and partners,' he said, according to the Manila Bulletin.
A London-based independent security analyst, Trevor Hollingsbee, commenting on the ambassador's reported remarks, said Moscow wanted to play the 'honest broker' but Russia was increasingly looking outwards and might have concerns about China one day dominating the South China Sea. Much of the world's traded goods pass through the sea and Russian firms are prospecting for oil there.