American and Filipino forces launched their largest combat exercises in years in a show of allied firepower near the disputed South China Sea that has alarmed Beijing.
The annual exercises by the longtime treaty allies will run until May 10 and involve more than 16,000 of their military personnel, along with more than 250 French and Australian forces.
While the Philippine military maintains that the trainings are not directed at a particular country, some of their main conflict scenarios are set in or near the disputed South China Sea, where Chinese and Philippine coast guard and accompanying ships have been involved in a series of increasingly tense territorial faceoffs since last year.
In encounters in disputed areas, Chinese coast guard vessels have resorting to water cannons, blocking and other manoeuvres against Filipino vessels.
The Philippine military said a key focus of this year’s drills is territorial defence. “We’re dead serious about protecting our territory – that’s why we do these... exercises,” Col Michael Logico said.
As the disputes between China and the Philippines have escalated, President Joe Biden and his administration have repeatedly warned that the United States is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if it is attacked.
Washington lays no claim to the contested waters but has declared that freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of the disputes are in its national interest.
Philippine military chief of staff Gen Romeo Brawner, who opened the exercises in a ceremony, said that as Pacific coastal nations, the United States and the Philippines “understand the importance of maritime cooperation in addressing the complex challenges that threaten peace and security in our region.”
China strongly criticised the exercises, saying the Philippines was “ganging up” with countries from outside Asia, and warned that the drills could instigate confrontation and undermine regional stability.
China specifically opposed the transport of a US ground-launched missile system to the northern Philippines ahead of the exercises. No missile would be fired but the aim was to build familiarity among military participants with the hi-tech weaponry in a tropical setting.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian expressed China’s grave concern over the deployment of the missile system “at China’s doorstep.”
“The US move exacerbates tensions in the region and increases the risk of misjudgement and miscalculation,” he said last week. — AP
