Thursday marked the beginning of the first-ever joint exercises between the coast guards of the Philippines, the United States, and Japan in waters adjacent to the South China Sea, amidst rising tensions with Beijing in this contested maritime region.
Officials have said that the drills, which are set to run until June 7, will include exercises in search and rescue operations, environmental protection measures, and the enforcement of maritime law.
According to Philippine Coast Guard Vice Adm. Rolando Punzalan Jr., most of the drills will take place in the municipality of Mariveles, located on the Bataan Peninsula close to the South China Sea.
The ships’ arrival was witnessed by diplomats and officials from the three countries. Two days after the U.S. military accused China of conducting a dangerously aggressive maneuver over the South China Sea, a Chinese fighter jet flew close to and across the flight path of a U.S. reconnaissance plane.
In retaliation, China’s government has accused the United States of stoking tensions by taking provocative measures like conducting reconnaissance flights over the contested waters. According to reports, Beijing has labeled these an attack on its national security.
The acting Japanese ambassador, Kenichi Matsuda, expressed his country’s support for the trilateral drills and emphasized the “shared history” between Japan, the United States, and Great Britain.
The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, and Vietnam all have competing claims to territory in the South China Sea with China. An international tribunal sided with the Philippines in 2016 and ruled against Beijing’s expansive “nine-dash line,” but China has refused to recognize the decision.
