Chinese: Beijing, which claims the whole South China Sea and accuses Manila of colluding with others to destabilize the area, has been the subject of a burst of marine training involving the United States and its companions. The US 7th Fleet based in Japan said troops from Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the US conducted a “multilateral coastal joint action” within the Philippines ‘ special economic zone on Wednesday.
Such training” strengthen the portability of our defense/armed makes beliefs, techniques, methods, and procedures”, the ship said in a news release. The ship did not provide specific information about the precise location of the manoeuvres because they were occurring within the Philippines ‘ area.
After this year, additional US, Japanese, and French exercises in China’s non-disputed Philippines Sea were planned.
The ship said that exercise is intended to advance cooperation and assistance between French, Chinese, and US sea forces while also demonstrating capabilities in multi-domain operations.
The US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, European ship Charles De Gaulle and Japan’s Izumo-class multi-functional battleship Kaga may take part in the drilling starting Saturday, along with their escort and air arms, the ship said.
France’s cooperation is particularly important because of the range from its home base, 6, 000 kilometers (3, 700 miles ) away in Toulouse, captain of the ship strike party rear admiral Jacques Mallard was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Tian Junli, spokesperson for China’s Southern theater command, accused the Philippines of” colluding with outside countries to organize so-called joint patrols ‘”, which he said “destabilize the region”, Chinese state media said on Thursday.
Tian argued that the Philippines ‘ actions were an attempt to “prove its illegal claims” in the South China Sea and undermine China’s maritime rights and interests. He specifically cited the joint US-Philippines patrols on Tuesday and China’s assertion that it had conducted its own patrols in the area on Wednesday.
China is one of six regional powers that asserts a portion of the strategic South China Sea in part or in whole, ignoring a ruling by a court supported by the UN that upheld most of its claims and constructed human-made islands equipped with airstrips and other military-grade infrastructure. China’s coast guard and maritime militia frequently clash with ships from Vietnam and the Philippines, two of its neighbors.
China is steadfastly opposed to foreign military shipping in the area despite its claims not to interfere with shipping or overflights in the sea, which is where an estimated$ 5 trillion in global trade transits annually.
China claims it wants to reach a negotiated agreement regarding the use of the sea, but such efforts have made little progress. The waterway is also believed to be perched atop vast undersea deposits of oil and gas.
China claims that the US and other nations that don’t cross the sea should have no say in matters involving it, even though the US, which has maintained bases and alliances in the area long before China made its formal claim to sovereignty using the so-called “eight dash line,” has no formal position on issues involving the sea.
Beijing is particularly enraged by US “freedom of navigation operations,” which demonstrate that Washington does not acknowledge China’s claims to sovereignty.
