US Flexes Muscles with Ally in Waters Claimed by China

American and Philippine warships and fighter jets patrolled large strips of the sea and airspace in the South China Sea this week in a pointed show of force directed at Beijing.

The three days of joint patrols, scheduled to conclude on Thursday, involved aircraft and vessels of the U.S. Navy, Air Force, as well as their counterparts in the Philippines armed forces, according to images released by both militaries.

Their exercise, which the U.S. Seven Fleet described as "routine," took place exclusively in the West Philippine Sea, Manila's name for the stretch of water that falls within its exclusive economic zone, where China has been by far the most assertive of the half a dozen regional states that lay claim to the area's disputed islands, atolls and reefs.

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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines, who became the country's leader last summer, is managing existing tensions with China as well as Beijing's increased pressure on Manila's de facto control of vulnerable territories in the Spratly Islands archipelago.

This year, standoffs and clashes between their respective coast guards have occurred around Philippine-held Second Thomas Shoal as well as China-controlled Scarborough Shoal, which was seized from the Philippines in 2012.

The incidents have pushed Marcos closer to Manila's long-time treaty ally, the United States, which in turn is being called on to show its revolve to defend the Philippines in case the flashpoint escalates into a hot war.

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Pictures showed American F-15 fast jets flying alongside Philippine Air Force FA-50 aircraft in the vicinity of the South China Sea. U.S. and Philippine combat ships were also shown sailing in formation.

The cooperation was a demonstration of their shared commitment to "a free and open Indo-Pacific region," the U.S. Pacific Air Forces said on Tuesday.

"U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region" the Seventh Fleet said, describing the strategic arena—known to most as the Asia-Pacific—that joins together critical sea lines in the Indian and Pacific oceans.

In response, the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army said it had dispatched a navy frigate to conducted its own patrol in the South China Sea starting on November 21, overlapping with the U.S. and allied exercise.

China's forces would remain on "high alert," according to spokesperson Col. Tian Junli.

On Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said while the U.S. and the Philippines were free to conduct joint patrols, they "must not hurt China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests."

Earlier, the Global Times, a nationalistic state-run tabloid, had downplayed the significance of the U.S.-Philippines patrols, suggesting the threat to China was limited.