Philippine and U.S. troops will conduct their first military drills outside the Southeast Asian nation’s territorial waters, a move that China says will only make the South China Sea more insecure.
The annual “shoulder-to-shoulder” exercise will be held from April 22 to May 10 and will involve 16,700 soldiers to simulate the recovery of enemy-occupied islands facing Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Philippine Army Col. Michael Logic, who is overseeing the exercise, said it will be the first maritime exercise to be conducted outside Philippine territorial waters.
In response to the planned exercise, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that the Philippines should “clearly realize” that wooing countries outside the region to show off force and provoke confrontation in the South China Sea will only exacerbate tensions and undermine regional stability.
“Trying to bring in external forces to maintain so-called security will only bring greater insecurity to oneself,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a scheduled press conference, urging both countries to stop provocations.
Logico said U.S. troops and their Philippine counterparts would simulate the recapture of the country’s northernmost islands, islands near Taiwan and islands occupied by hostile forces in western Palawan province facing the South China Sea.
For the first time since the annual exercise began in 1991, a French detachment will participate in this year’s exercise and deploy a frigate to jointly sail with Philippine and U.S. naval vessels in Manila’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
Logico said about 14 countries will join as observers, including Japan, India and ASEAN and EU countries.
The exercise, aimed at improving communication and coordination between U.S. and Philippine militaries, comes against the backdrop of Beijing’s recent aggressive behavior in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, a source of tension between China and the United States. fuse.
China’s so-called “grey zone” harassment includes firing military-grade lasers at the Philippine Coast Guard, firing water cannons at ships and ramming Philippine ships on resupply missions near Second Thomas Shoal.
China still claims nearly the entire South China Sea despite a 2016 ruling by an international court that found Beijing’s broad claims had no legal basis.
Last week, Joe Biden hosted the first joint summit with Manila and Tokyo, pledging to defend the Philippines from any attack in the South China Sea amid rising tensions with Beijing.
On Thursday, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi began a tour of Southeast Asia that will take him to Indonesia, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea.
Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto visited China in early April, and President Xi Jinping praised the relationship between the two countries and proposed a vision for regional peace. China is one of Indonesia’s largest sources of foreign direct investment and has poured billions of dollars into projects in the country.
Wang will end his visit in Papua New Guinea, where Beijing has sought to undermine the influence of the United States and Australia in recent years.
Reuters and AFP contributed to this report
