US, Indo-Pacific Allies Hold Joint Maritime Exercises in South China Sea

Naval ships of the Philippines, United States, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand take part in joint exercises in the South China Sea on Sept. 29, 2024. Armed Forces of the Philippines via Reuters/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

The United States and four of its allies conducted joint maritime exercises in a part of the South China Sea on Saturday, as China held its own military exercises in the disputed ocean territory.

The day-long exercise involving the United States, the Philippines, Australia, and Japan took place in Manila’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, according to a statement from the U.S. 7th Fleet.

“Maritime cooperative activities accelerate our already strong allied and partner combat readiness and interoperability,” said Vice Adm. Fred Kacher, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet.

Kacher said the joint drill demonstrates “our enduring commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and building our operational skillsets in one of the most dynamic maritime regions in the world.”

The joint exercise occurred amid increasing tension in the region, as China has been increasingly aggressive against its neighbors, particularly Taiwan, the Philippines, and Japan. In recent weeks, Manila has criticized Beijing for ramming its boats, blasting its boats with water cannons, and firing flares at its aircraft, with most of the incidents occurring around the contested Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea.

Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr., chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said in a statement that the joint exercise was significant.

“This underscores our shared commitments to upholding the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect for maritime rights under international law, as reflected in the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”

Brawner said the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Howard (DDG 83) and two helicopters took part in the joint exercise. Other units included the Philippine Navy’s BRP Antonio Luna (FF151), Australian Navy Leander-class light cruiser HMAS Sydney (D48), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force JS Sazanami (DD113), and Royal New Zealand Navy HMNZS Aotearoa (A11).

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 28, said Australia has “consistently pressed China on peace and stability in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.”

Taiwan’s defense ministry has reported a surge of Chinese military activity around the island in recent days. On Friday, the defense ministry said it had detected 41 Chinese military aircraft near the island’s vicinity in the past 24 hours. The day before, it warned of 43 Chinese military aircraft operating near the island.

On Sept. 25, China further escalated regional tensions after it test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean.

In response, Taiwan’s foreign ministry issued a statement calling on Beijing to “exercise reason and restraint and cease all activities that disrupt peace and stability and escalate regional tensions.”

China’s Drills

Also on Saturday, China’s Southern Theatre Command announced “routine” air and navel drills around Scarborough Shoal, an atoll in the South China Sea. The drills included early warning and reconnaissance exercises and sea and air patrols.

“Some countries outside of the region are meddling in the South China Sea and creating regional instability,” the command said, without naming any countries. It did not say how long its drills would last.

Scarborough Shoal is 124 miles off the Philippines, within its exclusive economic zone.

The command issued its announcement a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for talks on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

The State Department said Blinken raised China’s “dangerous and destabilizing actions” in the South China Sea, the importance of maintaining “peace and stability” across the Taiwan Strait, and the need to maintain “open lines of communication” between the two sides.

In June, Blinken affirmed Washington’s “ironclad commitments” to the Philippines during a call with Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo.

Blinken also spoke to Wang about China’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base and made clear the need for China to “address Russia’s threat to transatlantic security,” according to the readout.

Following the meeting, Blinken reiterated his concerns about China’s support for Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine.

“So when Beijing says on the one hand that it wants peace, it wants to see an end to the conflict, but on the other hand is allowing its companies to take actions that are actually helping [Russian President Vladimir] Putin continue the aggression, that doesn’t add up,” Blinken said during a press conference.

About 70 percent of the machine tools that Russia is importing and 90 percent of the microelectronics originate from China and Hong Kong, according to Blinken.

“This is materially helping the Russians produce the missiles, the rockets, the armored vehicles, the munitions that they need to perpetuate the war, to continue their aggression,” Blinken said.

Blinken and Wang also met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) forum in Laos in July.

Reuters contributed to this report.