hilippine personnel held bilateral maritime exercises with Japan, the United States and Vietnam in the wake of persistent Chinese coast guard harassment of vessels resupplying a Philippine military outpost on Second Thomas Shoal. Provocations include Chinese personnel wielding knives and an axe in a mid-June 2024 incident that severely injured one Philippine Sailor, damaged boats and equipment, and entailed stealing weapons.
The attack drew condemnation from Manila and its Allies and Partners and prompted talk of de-escalating tensions in the South China Sea, most of which the People’s Republic of China (PRC) claims despite territorial assertions by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. An international tribunal in 2016 invalidated the PRC’s claims to most of the South China Sea. The PRC, however, has continued to build military installations on artificial islands and its coast guard routinely patrols the region, including within other nations’ exclusive economic zones (EEZ), such as waters surrounding Second Thomas Shoal.
The joint drills in early August included the Philippines and the U.S. conducting a “maritime cooperative activity” within Manila’s EEZ, the Philippine and Vietnamese coast guards training together for the first time in the South China Sea, and Philippine and Japanese personnel staging a joint exercise in the waters.
South China Sea shipping lanes and chokepoints are vital conduits for commercial and security transport and are critical for some of the world’s largest economies. About one-third of global shipping transits the sea, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development estimated.
During the August exercises, a Philippine Navy offshore combat patrol ship and a U.S. Navy littoral combat ship drilled in the West Philippine Sea, which is what Manila calls areas within its EEZ in the South China Sea.
Philippine military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the partnership between Manila and Washington, bound by a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, “continues to be a pillar of regional stability.”
“These joint exercises with our ally are crucial in enhancing our naval capabilities and ensuring that we can effectively collaborate to safeguard our maritime interests,” Brawner said.
The Philippines-Vietnam exercise included “responding to different scenarios in international waters,” the Vietnam People’s Army newspaper reported. Vietnam deployed a vessel to Manila to participate in training drills with the Philippine Coast Guard involving search and rescue, fire and explosion prevention, and maritime safety.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Philippine Navy performed a communications drill, tactical maneuvering and a photographic exercise, the Agence France-Presse news agency reported. The nations agreed in July 2024 to allow their respective forces to train and exercise in each other’s territory. Japan has no claim to the South China Sea but relies on the region for shipping. Tokyo also has condemned incursions by Chinese vessels around Japan-controlled islands in the East China Sea.
Meanwhile, Germany and the Philippines set the groundwork in August 2024 for a defense agreement allowing joint military training, weapons sales, information sharing and closer collaboration between their forces.
