U.S. & Philippines begin war games as South China Sea spat lingers

[Boats]

U.S. & Philippines begin war games as South China Sea spat lingers
By: Cliff Venzon - Nikkei Staff Writer; 03-28-22
Re: https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Int...a-spat-lingers

Photo link: https://www.ft.com/__origami/service...source=nar-cms
American troops stand by Stryker armoured fighting vehicles after participating in live fire drills as part of the annual U.S.-Philippines joint military exercises at Crow Valley in Capas, Tarlac province, Philippines in this April 10, 2019 file photo. © AFP/Jiji

MANILA -- U.S. and Philippine troops on Monday began large-scale military drills, in show of strength as China grows increasingly assertive in the disputed South China Sea and Russia's war with Ukraine rages on.

Some 3,800 Filipino and 5,100 American military personnel will train together in one largest iterations of the "Balikatan" (shoulder to shoulder) annual military exercise. The drills are a hallmark of the 71-year-old treaty alliance that has been tested by outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's efforts to forge closer ties with China.

"This exercise that we're holding this year shows the strong relations that we have with our allies, specifically the United States," Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Andres Centino said in a news conference after an opening ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo in metropolitan Manila.

U.S. Maj. Gen. Jay Bargeron said this year's exercises are aimed at "improving our security and defensive capabilities and our readiness to respond to any crisis anywhere."

The drills, running through April 8, will focus on maritime security; amphibious, urban and aviation operations; counterterrorism and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The exercises, which will include live-fire training, will take place in Tarlac province, north of Manila, and Cagayan province on the northeastern tip of Luzon island.

The U.S. is regarded by the Philippine defense community as a counterweight to China, which has reclaimed and militarized artificial islands in the South China Sea to bolster its expansive claims over the strategic waterway. An international tribunal ruled in 2016 that China's claims have no legal basis, but Beijing rejects the ruling.

Map link: https://www.ft.com/__origami/service...source=nar-cms

The war games are starting a day after the Philippine Coast Guard reported a March 2 "close distance maneuvering incident" involving a China Coast Guard ship.

The incident is the fourth dangerous maneuvering in nearly a year by the China Coast Guard near the Scarborough Shoal, which is located 124 nautical miles off the Philippines' western coast and approximately 472 nautical miles from the nearest coast of China. Beijing seized the shoal in 2012 after a standoff with the Philippines.

"The behavior of the involved CCG vessels increased the risk of collision with four of our capital ships," Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Artemio Abu said in a statement on Sunday.

Manila's foreign ministry on March 14 said it summoned Beijing's envoy to the Philippines to protest a Chinese navy ship's "illegal incursion" in the southern Sulu Sea, which is not part of the disputed South China Sea. Beijing said it was an "innocent passage."

The full-scale military exercises this year show Manila and Washington's defense alliance is "back on track," said Renato De Castro, international studies professor at De La Salle University in Manila.

2nd Photo link: https://www.ft.com/__origami/service...source=nar-cms
Philippines Military Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino speaks during opening ceremonies of the Balikatan joint military exercises at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Philippines, on Monday. © AP

Duterte in early 2020 threatened to end the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement, which facilitates the entry of U.S. troops into the Philippines.

But the president decided to continue the VFA in July last year during the visit of U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Its termination, analysts say, would have upended the alliance under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty.

De Castro said the military drills have become more crucial amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which some in the Philippines fear could set a precedent for similar moves in the South China Sea.

"Of course, this (Balikatan) has been on the plan since last year, but it has gained a new significance in the light of the Ukraine-Russia war which has ushered a new era of great powers strategic rivalry," De Castro said.

The Philippines is set to hold a general election in May, but De Castro said the next president will likely stick to the U.S. alliance.

"Just like President Duterte, they will eventually realize that the alliance whether we like it or not is something that we have to live with in this very dangerous 21st century," the professor said.

Note: Additional reporting by Ella Hermonio
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Personal note: It's a good thing the US & PI are still working together.
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