PH, US, Japan, Australia hold naval drills in SCS
THE Philippines, Japan, Australia and the United States will hold joint naval drills today at a disputed waterway — which beijing claims almost entirely — days before US President Joe Biden hosts the first trilateral summit with President ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister fumio Kishida.
The allies said that the exercises were to demonstrate “collective commitment” and strengthen cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
In a joint statement on Saturday, the four countries said the Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) will be conducted by naval/maritime and air force units “in a manner that is consistent with international law as well as domestic laws and rules of respective nations, and with due regard to the safety of navigation and the rights and interests of other States.”
“It will also demonstrate professional interactions among naval/maritime and air forces. Ultimately, the MCA will strengthen the interoperability of our defense/armed forces doctrines, tactics, techniques, and procedures,” the joint statement read.
The four countries said they stood with all nations in safeguarding the international order based on the rule of law that was the foundation for a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region.
“Our four nations reaffirm the position regarding the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award as a final and legally binding decision on the parties to the dispute,” they said, referring to the ruling that granted the Philippines sovereign rights over marine resources within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Richard Marles, deputy prime minister and Australian defense minister, said his country was committed to working with partners to maintain the global rules-based order.
“We recognize that respect for national sovereignty and agreed rules and norms based on international law underpin the stability of our region,” Minister Marles said in a separate statement.
He said Australia has consistently emphasized the importance of all states being able to exercise rights and freedoms, including freedom of navigation, in a manner consistent with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).
“The Maritime Cooperative Activity with the Philippines, Japan and the United States demonstrates our firm commitment to work together to maintain a peaceful, stable and prosperous region,” Marles said.
Japanese Defense Minister Kihara Minoru said that guided by the vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), Japan has the vital importance of striving to realize a free and open international order based on the rule of law and securing regional peace and stability in cooperation with its ally and like-minded countries.
“Japan believes that the issue concerning the South China Sea is directly related to the peace and stability of the region and is a legitimate concern of the international community, including Japan, Australia, the Philippines and the United States, and thus Japan opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo by force, such attempts as well as any actions that increase tensions in the South China Sea,” Minister Minoru said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin 3rd, meanwhile, said the joint drills with Australia, Japan and the Philippines underscored America’s shared commitment to ensuring that “all countries are free to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows.”
“Every country should be free to conduct lawful air and maritime operations,” Austin said. “Our operations together support peace and stability at the heart of our shared vision for a free and open region.”
5 warships
According to the Department of National Defense (DND), five warships are set to participate in the drills: the Philippines’ BRP Gregorio del Pilar and BRP Ramon Alcaraz, the USS Mobile of the US, Japan’s JS Akebono, and Australia’s HMAS Warramunga.
“The series of bilateral and multilateral MCA is a step in building our country’s capacity for individual and collective self-defense,” Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said.
“This is the first in a series of activities demonstrating the enduring friendship and partnership among the peace-loving peoples of the Philippines, United States, Australia and Japan,” he added.
Teodoro said the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC) that the Philippine government was implementing included strengthening and deepening cooperation and interoperability with all nations to maintain regional peace and stability, as well as good order at sea based on international law, principally Unclos.
There were no other details on what the drills would precisely include.
The Japanese Embassy in Manila said in a statement that “anti-submarine warfare training” would be part of the exercise.
Earlier this week, Australian warship HMAS Warramunga arrived at the Philippine island of Palawan, which faces the hotly contested waters.
The exercise and summit follow repeated confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels near disputed reefs off the Southeast Asian country in recent months.
China has blamed the Philippines for raising tensions in the hotly contested waterway, where Beijing and Manila have a long history of maritime territorial disputes.
Marcos issued a strongly worded statement on March 28, vowing the Philippines would not be “cowed into silence, submission or subservience” by China.
Talks between the Philippines and Japan for a defense pact that would allow the countries to deploy troops on each other’s territory were “still ongoing,” a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
Manila has a similar agreement with Australia and the United States.
In an interview with the Nikkei Business Daily on Thursday, Kishida said Japan needs to show a bigger presence and “take greater responsibility” for providing options for the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.
He also said Tokyo, Washington and Manila “will work together to proceed with trilateral cooperative projects,” including semiconductors, digital technology and next-generation nuclear energy.
US-China meeting
Before the announcement of the joint drills, US and Chinese military officials met in two-day working-level talks to ensure safe and professional air and naval interactions between their forces.
According to US Department of Defense News, the meeting was held in Honolulu on April 3 and 4.
The Honolulu meeting marked the resumption of the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA) Working Group, a series of annual operational safety dialogues.
The MMCA dialogues were established two decades ago. It was last held in December 2021.
Representatives from the US Indo-Pacific Command, the US Pacific Fleet, and US Pacific Air Forces met with their counterparts from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The head of the US delegation, Army Col. Ian Francis, IndoPacom’s director of Northeast Asia policy, said the delegation was encouraged by China’s army members honoring their commitment to attend the talks.
He said he looked forward to future discussions aimed at safeguarding forces operating in the region.
“The Military Maritime Consultative Agreement is US Indo-Pacom’s primary means to discuss air and maritime operational safety with the PLA directly,” Francis said.
“The United States will continue to operate safely and professionally in the Indo-Pacific wherever international law allows, and we take this responsibility seriously.
“Open, direct and clear communications with the PLA and all other regional military forces are of utmost importance to avoid accidents and miscommunication,” he said.
During this year’s MMCA, officials from both countries reviewed specific instances of safety-related events in the region in recent years.
The officials also discussed sustaining maritime and aviation operational safety and professionalism.
According to the most recent China Military Power Report, the US has documented more than 180 coercive and risky air intercepts against US aircraft in the region between 2021 and 2023.
According to the report, there have been more risky intercepts in the past two years than in the past decade.
In previewing this week’s military-to-military talks, defense officials noted a decrease in China’s unsafe behavior toward US maritime and air operators in the region.
“We’ve observed a reduction in unsafe behavior between us and PLA aircraft and vessels over the last several months,” a senior military official said. “So, we’re encouraged by that and happy that we have this opportunity with the MMCA to discuss ways to ensure that trend continues in the right direction.”
However, US officials noted concerns over China’s continued unsafe behavior toward non-US maritime operations in the region.
“In recent months, we do continue to see the PRC acting very dangerously and unlawfully against routine maritime operations the Philippines was conducting in the South China Sea,” a senior defense official said. “We’ll continue to press [China] on those issues.”