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Chinese naval vessels were seen tailing American and Philippine warships as they kicked off a series of joint exercises—their second in six weeks—in the South China Sea on Wednesday.
This time, the U.S. Navy's Carrier Strike Group 1, led by Nimitz-class aircraft carrier the USS Carl Vinson, was deployed for two days of exercises "designed to support our longstanding partnership between the two militaries and further advance combined capabilities in the maritime domain," according to a press release published Wednesday by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
Tensions are running high in the South China Sea as Manila contests Beijing's territorial claims over the well-trafficked region, including areas within the Philippines' internationally recognized exclusive economic zone.
In December, Philippine supply convoys sailing to two separate features in the sea's Spratly Islands were met with a Chinese coast guard blockade, firing water cannon, which the Philippines said severely damaged a boat. A collision also occurred.
Video footage and images appear to show a Chinese frigate shadowing the allied ships from afar.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines hailed the two-day coordination as a success.
"The maritime cooperative activity included exercises that allowed for the exchange of best practices. This improved the proficiency of both armed forces in responding to potential threats in the maritime domain," said Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, Lieutenant General Romeo Brawner Jr., in a press statement Thursday.
Meanwhile, China deployed a "routine patrol of naval and air forces in the South China Sea," the country's People's Liberation Army's Southern Theater Command said in a statement Wednesday.
China's forces were on high alert at all times, "resolutely safeguarding national sovereign security, and maritime rights and interests." Any "military activities that stir up [the] situation in the South China Sea or create hotspot issue [sic]" are under control," the statement said.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense did not respond to Newsweek's written request for comment by publication.
The U.S. considers the Philippines to be its oldest ally in Asia, and the two share a decades-old Mutual Defense Treaty that American officials have repeatedly said covers Philippine assets anywhere, including the South China Sea.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s efforts to reinforce defense ties with the U.S. this year have manifested through drills, expanded U.S. access to military bases in the archipelagic country, and a recent visit to Indo-Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii.
"The U.S. and the Philippines' muscle-flexing, provocative military activities in the South China Sea are not conducive to managing the situation on the sea and handling maritime disputes" Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a Thursday morning press conference.
About the writer
Micah McCartney is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers U.S.-China relations, East Asian and Southeast Asian ... Read more