Trilateral maneuvers in the South China Sea

Coast Guard The United States, Japan and the Philippines have planned tripartite maneuvers in the South China Sea to take place this week. These upcoming exercises constitute the first such initiative between these countries and are a reaction to the growing concern about China's activities in the region.

The exercises, which will take place from 1 to 7 June near Bataan Province, were initiated at the request of the United States and Japan, and Australia will join as an observer," reported the spokesman for the Philippines Coast Guard, Armand Balilo on Monday.

The maneuvers will be attended by four Filipino ships and one from the United States and one from Japan. The main objective of these exercises will be to improve cooperation in search and rescue, as well as international law enforcement," Balilo added.

In an atmosphere of increasing tensions, the Philippines received a proposal from Japan and the United States to carry out joint sea maneuvers in the waters of the South China Sea. The same question came in February – the month in which Manila strongly condemned China for their aggressive actions in this strategic region. China, claiming the right to a large part of the South China Sea, puts the region at risk of growing destabilisation. The Philippines strongly underlines their concerns about this worrying development.

During the press conference, Armand Balilo, a spokesman for the Philippine Coast Guard, stressed that such exercises are standard practice between the various Coast Guard units in the world. Balilo pointed out that there was nothing inappropriate in conducting maneuvers with his international partners.

Countries such as Japan, Australia and the United States often express disapproval of China's aggressive action in the South China Sea and seek to strengthen cooperation with the Philippines, an ally of the United States. This increase occurred after Fernand Marcos Jr. took power as president of the Philippines last year after the prognostic predecessor Rodrigo Duterte.

Under Marcos, relations between the Philippines and the United States have gained momentum. The current president is increasingly critical of China's conduct, including the alleged use of a "military-power laser" against a ship supporting a naval food supply mission. Additionally, he complains of the presence of a large number of alleged Chinese militias near Filipino territories in the disputed Spratly Islands. The Chinese authorities maintain that their coastguard activities are legal and take place in waters under their control.

The upcoming maneuvers will include combating piracy and interception exercises for a ship carrying weapons of mass destruction. The aim is to strengthen defence capacity and cooperation between the three countries in the South China Sea region.

Source: Reuters/MD