On Wednesday (July 31), the U.S. military and the Philippine Navy conducted joint training exercises in the South China Sea. The Philippines, as a US ally, has been engaged in longstanding territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea. Over the past year, conflicts between the Philippine Navy and the Chinese Coast Guard in disputed areas of the South China Sea have continued to escalate.
According to a report by “News Weekly” on Thursday (August 1), the U.S. Navy’s largest fleet, the Seventh Fleet based in Japan, issued a statement indicating that the maritime joint training exercises involved “routine bilateral surface operations and communications.” The USS Mobile, an Independence-class littoral combat ship of the U.S. Navy, and the Philippine Navy’s Gregorio del Pilar-class patrol vessel, BRP Ramon Alcaraz, participated in the exercises.
The statement highlighted that the exercises demonstrated “the strength of the alliance between the two countries and further enhanced the maritime joint capabilities that support peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The Philippine Armed Forces stated that the training took place in the West Philippine Sea, a term used by the Philippines for part of the South China Sea within its internationally recognized exclusive economic zone.
Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Armed Forces, stated, “Through these exercises, the navies of both countries aim to enhance readiness and joint operational capabilities to ensure maritime security and stability in the region.”
Xerxes Trinidad, the Director of Public Affairs of the Philippine Armed Forces, informed local media that no Chinese vessels were detected near the training area.
China claims sovereignty over a large part of the South China Sea, with its extensive claims overlapping those of countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
The South China Sea is rich in natural resources, covering an area of approximately 3.5 million square kilometers and bordered by nine countries with a total population of nearly 2 billion people. China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and other nations fish in the South China Sea, with around 12% of global fish catches coming from the region annually.
Additionally, the South China Sea is one of the busiest maritime shipping routes globally, connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Around 80% of global trade is conducted through maritime transport, with the South China Sea accounting for approximately one-third of global maritime trade volume.
The U.S. and the Philippines have a Mutual Defense Treaty that has been in effect for sixty years, conducting joint exercises regularly. As China becomes more assertive in the South China Sea, Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has strengthened cooperation with the U.S., opening four military bases to U.S. forces last year, bringing the total number of American bases in the Philippines to nine.
The disputes between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea have been ongoing for several decades. In June this year, a conflict involving both Filipino and Chinese military personnel occurred in a disputed area of the South China Sea, resulting in injuries to several Filipino soldiers.
In an effort to ease tensions, in July, the Philippines and China announced an agreement regarding a resupply mission to the disputed Second Thomas Shoal. However, the two countries have differing interpretations of the agreement.