This content was first published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now being reprinted with permission.
In the first joint manoeuvres over contested waterways since U.S. President Donald Trump’s election, American and Philippine planes flew up in a planned police and drill above the South China Sea, according to Filipino officers.
The practice, where Asian FA-50 fighter planes flew alongside U. S. B-1 planes in clouds above the lake, including the fiercely disputed Scarborough Shoal, drew a reprimand from China. Beijing said it threatened , local peace and stability.
The Asian martial claimed that this was the first time B-1 aircraft were used for joint operations in the South China Sea. The one-day training, staged on Tuesday, reflected the solid relationships between the two , lifelong treaty supporters, officials said.
Prior to this, some safety experts had predicted that President Trump may pay less attention to Southeast Asia, especially the Philippines, which has been assisting China in its struggle for international aid in the South China Sea.
” It’s the first training under the current management of the U. S. state”, Back Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Philippine Navy spokeswoman for the West Philippine Sea, told a press briefing Tuesday.
The training involved two B-1 aircraft attached to the U. S. Pacific Air Forces and three FA-50s from the Philippine Air Force, Col. Maria Consuelo Castillo, the PAF spokesperson, told the exact media presentation.
According to military officers, the B-1 is a more sophisticated version of the B-52 bomb that the U.S. Air Force had used in earlier training operations over the South China Sea.
This practice supports our shared diplomatic air goals, improves atmosphere domain awareness, and strengthens our interoperability, according to Castillo.
According to Filipino officers, the practice was not a direct response to recent tensions between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea, which the Chinese martial and coast guard have recently engaged in.
Scarborough Shoal, which both nations claim, is located within the Philippines ‘ special economic zone but has been in Chinese hands since 2012 in reality.
China: ‘ On great notice ‘
In response, Beijing said the combined training was a danger to peace and stability in the lake.
“]T] he Philippines has been colluding with countries outside the place to manage the so-called’ combined patrols’ to consciously destroy peace and stability in the South China Sea”, a spokeswoman for China’s military , said , on Tuesday.
Beijing added that on Tuesday, it had also conducted a program police in the aircraft above Scarborough Shoal.
According to the spokesperson, China’s atmosphere force units would be “on large alert to stubbornly defend China’s regional sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
Even though the combined training was being conducted “regardless of the actions of other international actors,” Castillo claimed the PAF were prepared for television challenges from China during the arranging of the training. As of press time, there were no reports of any such challenges.
However, there were no scenarios where the airplanes simulated dogfights, Castillo said.
“]There’s ] no bombing exercise”, she said.
The Philippines and the United States are compelled to come to each other’s aid in times of external attacks under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. Under Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, Washington said that the scenario included armed attacks in the South China Sea.
China lays claim to almost the entire , South China Sea, but its claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Manila and Beijing have engaged in a number of sea battles over the past few months.
In related news, the Philippine military accused three Chinese Navy vessels of violating Philippine law governing the passage of innocent people through Philippine waters.
The Chinese ships, which include a frigate, cruiser, and replenishment oiler, were first observed in the West Philippine Sea on Monday. The South China Sea waters that are located within the Philippines ‘ exclusive economic zone are known as the” Malay” Sea.
The ships traveled southward and moved at a speed of six knots ( 11.1 kph ), passing through Basilan Channel, towards Indonesia.
According to the military, the Philippine Navy and Air Force aircraft tracked them, and Chinese ships also received radio challenges.
As of Tuesday morning, Trinidad said the Chinese vessels were about 120 nautical miles south of Basilan. ” They are moving out of our exclusive economic zone”, he said.
During the radio challenges, the Chinese vessels said they were exercising freedom of navigation and innocent passage, according to Trinidad.
A Chinese military spokesman added that the passage was in line with “international law and practice” on Monday.
” The violation was that the travel through our archipelagic waters was not expeditious”, Trinidad said. They could have moved more quickly, they claimed. In some cases, the Sulu Sea’s central region slowed to five or six knots.
Trinidad claimed that the Chinese ships were likely heading to Indonesia to participate in an upcoming military exercise, known as Komodo, which would involve at least 37 nations.
Apart from Indonesia and China, some of the countries involved in the Komodo exercise this month are the Philippines, the United States, Japan, Australia, France, India, the United Kingdom, and South Korea.
