A flurry of naval drills surrounding the Philippines involving the US and its partners has prompted complaints from Beijing, which claims the entire South China Sea and accuses Manila of colluding with others to destabilize the region.
The US 7th Fleet based in Japan said forces from Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the US conducted a “multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity” within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone yesterday.
Photo: Philippine Air Force / AFP
Such drills “strengthen the interoperability of our defense/armed forces doctrines, tactics, techniques and procedures," the fleet said in a news release.
The maneuvers were taking place within the Philippines’ zone, but the fleet gave no details on the exact location.
More exercises involving the US, Japan and France were planned for later this week in the Philippines Sea, which China does not claim.
That exercise “is designed to advance coordination and cooperation between French, Japanese and US maritime forces while simultaneously demonstrating capabilities in multi-domain operations,” the fleet said.
The US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, French carrier Charles De Gaulle and Japan's Izumo-class multi-functional destroyer Kaga are to take part in the drill starting on Saturday, along with their escorts and air wings, the fleet said.
France's participation is especially significant because of the distance from its home base, 6,000km away in Toulouse, commander of the Carrier Strike Group Rear Admiral Jacques Mallard was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Tian Junli, spokesperson for China's Southern Theater Command, accused the Philippines of “colluding with outside countries to organize ‘so-called joint patrols,'" which he said ”destabilize the region," Chinese state media said today.
Tian said the Philippines' actions were “an attempt to endorse its ‘illegal claims’ in the South China Sea and ”undermine China’s maritime rights and interests."
He specifically pointed to US-Philippines joint patrols on Tuesday and said China had carried out its own patrols in the region yesterday.
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