Philippines, US, Australia, Canada hold first joint war games in SCS

By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter

THE PHILIPPINES, Canada, United States and Australia kicked off their first joint military exercise in the South China Sea (SCS) on Wednesday, according to their military, amid China’s increased military buildup in the waterway.

The two-day exercise, which will involve naval and air force units, is the first among the four countries, and follows the first Philippine-Japan joint exercise in the disputed South China Sea last week.

The war games are meant to enhance interoperability among their forces, they said in a statement signed by Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Romeo S. Brawner, Jr., Australian Defense Force Chief David Johnston Ran, US Indo-Pacific Command Chief Samuel Paparo and Canadian Chief of Defense Staff Jennie Carignan.

“The activity will be conducted in a manner that is consistent with international law and with due regard to the safety of navigation and the rights and interests of other states,” they added.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines, has held similar exercises with other countries in the waterway, having carried out drills with Manila and Tokyo in June.

The four nations said they uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, adding that naval and air force units would operate together in Manila’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to improve cooperation and interoperability.

“We stand together to address common maritime challenges and underscore our shared dedication to upholding international law and the rules-based order,” they said.

China claims as its territory much of the South China Sea, a conduit for roughly $3 trillion in annual ship-borne trade, despite competing claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Manila and Beijing have repeatedly clashed in the South China Sea, accusing each other of aggressive behavior involving their ships and of damaging the marine environment.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said China’s claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected.

‘DUAL EFFORTS’

The joint drills, which now include Canada, are part of the Marcos government’s efforts to gather support from democratic nations amid China’s military expansionism, Chester B. Cabalza, founder of Manila-based International Development and Security Cooperation, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

The Philippines has been holding maritime exercises since last year and has vowed to work with like-minded nations in protecting its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.

The country recently held two separate joint sails with the US and Japan. The three countries along with Australia held similar sails last year.

In June, Canada joined a maritime cooperative activity with the Philippines, the US and Japan, which sealed a reciprocal access agreement with Manila in July. The Philippine Senate has yet to ratify the deal.

Canada, which has given the Philippines access to its dark vessel detection technology, is also eyeing a military deal with the Southeast Asian nation.

Mr. Cabalza said Canada could play a bigger role in Philippine efforts to deter Chinese aggression at sea.

Gary Ador Dionisio, dean of De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde’s School of Diplomacy and Governance, noted that Canada, which is part of the Indo-Pacific region, wants unhampered trade in the region.

Lucio B. Pitlo III, a research fellow at the Asia-Pacific Pathways to Progress Foundation, said Canada, along with other G7 members, has criticized China’s behavior in the South China and has upheld the 2016 arbitral award.

“The joint maritime drills demonstrate international pushback against Beijing,” he said. “These exercises help enhance the training and readiness of Filipino sailors.”

Mr. Dionisio said the four nations represent middle to super power forces.

“The drills signaled the dual efforts of our military and diplomatic agencies in exposing the bankrupt narrative of China with regard to the 10-dash line,” he said, adding that more countries might hold similar drills with the Philippines in the coming months.

The announcement comes days after the Philippine military said at least 122 Chinese ships including a research vessel and the world’s largest coast guard ship had been operating in Philippine waters from July 30 to Aug. 4, up from 104 a week earlier.

Philippine Navy spokesman Roy Vincent T. Trinidad on Tuesday said China had reclaimed 3,000 hectares within the Philippine EEZ. He added that it has transformed Subi, Mischief, and Johnson reefs into major military bases.

“They have airstrips, they have harbors for warships, there are structures on land that we can only surmise are aircraft hangars, and they have military grade communications equipment,” he told a news briefing.

The Philippines’ Fishery bureau earlier this week held aerial inspections of the China-occupied Subi Reef, detecting several high-rise buildings and an airstrip.

Subi, which is just 12 nautical miles away from Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, is one of the three largest man-made islands illegally built by China within the Philippine EEZ. The others are Fiery Cross Reef and Mischief Reef. — with Reuters