Philippines, United States, Japan and Australia prepare joint naval exercises
The Philippines has planned joint naval exercises with the United States, Japan and Australia for this Sunday, April 7 in the South China Sea, the four countries announced in a press release. These maneuvers should take place in a context marked by significant regional tensions, especially between Manila and Beijing in recent times, while several incidents at sea have been reported in recent months, between the Philippine and Chinese coast guards. China actually claims almost the entire South China Sea.
Image from January 22, 2022: The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln transit the Philippine Sea to begin maneuvers in the South China Sea, one of the main points of friction between Chinese and Americans in the region . AFP - LARISSA T. DOUGHERTY
By: RFI Follow
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With our regional correspondent,
Juliette Pietraszewski
The
United States
,
Japan
and
Australia
are all expected to be present with the
Philippines
in this Sunday's military exercises. Earlier this week, an Australian warship arrived in the Philippine province of Palawan, near the Second Thomas Atoll in the Spratly Islands, an area experiencing significant friction.
If these naval exercises take place this weekend, they will occur a few days before a planned summit in Washington between US President Joe Biden, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Ubiquitous tensions
Manila wishes to strengthen its military cooperation with its allies, particularly the Americans, at a time when tensions with China in the region are still so palpable. Among the latest incidents:
a collision
between Chinese and Filipino ships, or the use of water cannons during previous confrontations.
Beijing, for its part, claims almost the entire
South China Sea
, also affecting the EEZs of the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague declared that the Chinese claims had
no legal basis.
A decision rejected by Beijing.
Also read South China Sea: Beijing criticizes US support for the Philippines
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