US, Philippines begin military exercises
China warns ‘outsiders’ against interfering
MANILA, April 4, (Agencies): US and Philippine troops began major exercises on Monday as China’s state media warned “outsiders” against interfering in tense South China Sea territorial disputes.
The official Xinhua news agency gave the warning as Manila and Washington launched the 11-day Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder) exercises with a low-key opening ceremony in Manila.
US Defence Secretary Ash Carter is to fly to the Philippines next week to observe live-firing of artillery and visit US Navy ships taking part.
Some 5,000 US troops are taking part along with nearly 4,000 Philippine soldiers and 80 from Australia.
“The ... exercises caps Manila’s recent attempts to involve outsiders in (a) regional row,” China’s official news agency Xinhua said in a commentary.
It cited Japan, which sent a submarine on a visit to the Philippines last weekend, and Australia.
“However, a provocation so fearmongering and untimely as such is likely to boomerang on the initiators,” Xinhua added.
“A big country with vital interests in Asia, the United States should first clarify the targets of its Pivot to Asia strategy, which so far has featured no more than unscrupulous inconsistency between fear-mongering deeds and peace-loving words.”
China lays claim to almost all of the South China Sea, despite partial counterclaims by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines.
In recent years it has built major structures including radar systems and airstrips over reclaimed reefs and outcrops, sparking international concern it could impose military controls over the entire area.
The US does not take sides in the territorial disputes but has asserted the importance of keeping sea and air routes open.
It has sent US bombers and warships on patrol close to the Chinese construction activity in recent months, infuriating Beijing.
Help
Lieutenant-General John Toolan, commander of US Marine Corps forces in the Pacific, told reporters in Manila the exercises would help the allies improve maritime security and maintain regional stability.
“Our alliance is strong. The United States is committed to this relationship and these are not empty words .... peace in Southeast Asia depends on our cooperation,” Toolan added.
The exercises come ahead of a decision this year by a United Nationsbacked tribunal on a legal challenge by Manila to China’s territorial claims.
The Philippines is also preparing to host US troops at five bases under a defence pact born out of US President Barack Obama’s plan to reassert American influence in the Pacific.
The United States has conducted what it calls “freedom of navigation” patrols in the area, sailing near disputed islands controlled by China to underscore its right to navigate the seas.
The patrols have drawn sharp rebukes from China but despite that, US officials have made clear the United States would continue to challenge what it considers China’s unfounded maritime claims.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the waters, through which about $5 trillion in trade is shipped every year.
The Philippines has sought international arbitration on the dispute and a decision is expected late this month or in early May. China has declined to take part in the case.
Lieutenant-General John Toolan, commander of US Marine forces in the Pacific, told the news conference it was prudent to plan for any situation that could occur and to practice how the two allies would likely respond.
Asked if that included a security crisis in the South China Sea, Toolan said: “It does, absolutely.”
Toolan said US forces would for the first time in the Philippine exercises fire a long-range truck-mounted multiple-rocket launcher known as the high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS).
A small contingent of Australian troops will join the exercises while Vietnam and Japan have sent officers to observe.
The Philippines has turned to the United States, a longtime treaty ally, and others to rapidly acquire patrol ships and planes as its territorial rifts with China have escalated in the last four years. The disputes in the South China Sea also involve Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.
“The Philippines is the least capable armed forces in the region, and the US, being a big brother, is a big help,” said Philippine Vice-Admiral Alexander Lopez, who heads the contingent of about 3,500 Filipino military personnel involved in the exercises.
While many Filipinos welcome American support in strengthening the Philippines’ territorial defense, left-wing activists and nationalists have opposed a growing US military presence in the former American colony, along with China’s increasingly assertive advances in disputed waters.
Dozens of left-wing activists protested at the US Embassy in Manila on Monday, waving placards that read “No to China aggression” and “US troops, Philippines is not your playground.”