A total of five naval ships will sail from the “south going to the north” as the Philippines, United States, Australia, and Japan will hold joint naval and air drills along the country’s exclusive economic zone or EEZ in the disputed South China Sea today.
“Our combined defense/armed forces will conduct a Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone on April 7, 2024,” the defense chiefs of the four countries said in a joint statement Saturday, as they deepen ties to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the region.
Taking part in the MCA, according to the Department of Defense, arethe Philippines’ offshore patrol vessels the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS-15) and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16); the US Navy’s littoral combat ship USS Mobile (LCS-26); Australia’s HMAS Warramunga (FFH-152); and Japan’s destroyer JS Akebono (DD-108).
The exercise will take place in the disputed waterway—which Beijing claims almost entirely—days before US President Joe Biden is due to hold the first trilateral summit with the leaders of the Philippines and Japan.
They said it would demonstrate the allies’ “collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
The four defense chiefs said they would “strengthen the interoperability of our… doctrines, tactics, techniques, and procedures” with the MCA, which will include an anti-submarine warfare training, tactical, link and photo exercises, Japanese and Philippine reports said.
This developed as the Philippine Coast Guard on Saturday reported that they and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources were harassed by the Chinese Coast Guard while conducting operations at the Rozul Reef on Thursday.
In its report, the PCG said their personnel and the BFAR were dropping floating aggregate devices or “payao” when two CCG vessels with ship numbers 21551 and 21556), which were the “usual interdictors” in the resupply operation in Ayungin Shoal, arrived and started harassing local fishing boats.
According to the PCG, the CCG vessels “went as far” as pretending to man their water cannons and threatened the Filipino fishermen.
The PCG said the latest “unlawful behavior” demonstrated China’s aim to deprive “Filipinos of their rights to access the resources in our Exclusive Economic Zone.”
Earlier this week, the Australian warship HMAS Warramunga arrived at the island of Palawan, which faces the hotly contested waters.
The exercise and summit follow repeated confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels near disputed reefs off the Southeast Asian country in recent months.
China has blamed the Philippines for raising tensions in the hotly contested waterway, where Beijing and Manila have a long history of maritime territorial disputes.
Top US officials have repeatedly declared the United States’ “ironclad” commitment to defending the Philippines against an armed attack in the South China Sea.
“These activities with our allies Australia, Japan, and the Philippines underscore our shared commitment to ensuring that all countries are free to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in the joint statement.
“Our operations together support peace and stability at the heart of our shared vision for a free and open region.”
President Marcos issued a strongly worded statement on March 28, vowing the Philippines would not be “cowed into silence, submission, or subservience” by China.
Talks between the Philippines and Japan for a defense pact that would allow the countries to deploy troops on each other’s territory were “still ongoing”, a spokesman for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said.
Manila already has a similar agreement with Australia and the United States.
In an interview with the Nikkei business daily on Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan needs to show a bigger presence and “take greater responsibility” for providing options for the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.
He also said Tokyo, Washington, and Manila “will work together to proceed with trilateral cooperative projects”, including in semiconductors, digital technology and next-generation nuclear energy. With Charles Dantes