Philippines, US carry out ‘cooperative activity’ in South China Sea

The United States and the Philippines carried out a “maritime cooperative activity” in South China Sea waters that are within Manila’s jurisdiction, officials said Thursday. 

The two allies’ joint activity Wednesday was held even as China and the Philippines say they are  moving to “deescalate” tensions in the contested sea area after they spiked mid-June when a Filipino sailor lost a thumb allegedly in an encounter with Chinese coast guard personnel.

Meanwhile, a Vietnamese coast guard ship is on its way to the Philippines for the first joint coast guard drills between the neighbors who both have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea, Hanoi announced.

Philippine military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the partnership between Washington and Manila, bound by a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, “continues to be a pillar of regional stability.” 

“These joint exercises with our ally are crucial in enhancing our naval capabilities and ensuring that we can effectively collaborate to safeguard our maritime interests,” he said, referring to the “cooperative activity.”

It also underscored the “strong defense ties between the Philippines and the United States and their shared commitment to upholding freedom of navigation and a rules-based order” in the South China Sea, Brawner said. 

A Philippine Navy offshore combat patrol ship and a U.S. Navy littoral combat ship participated in the drill that ended at dusk on Wednesday in the West Philippine Sea, which is what Manila calls areas in the South China Sea that are in its exclusive economic zone. 

Philippine military public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad did not disclose the exact location of the joint maritime activity with the U.S. He said that based on the navy’s report, “no Chinese vessel was detected in the exercise area, both by visual and radar monitoring.” 

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday in Manila announced a $500 million infusion to help the Philippines defend its shores amid increasing territorial threats from China. 

Tensions and confrontations between Manila and Beijing have been on the rise over a shoal, known as Ren’ai Jiao in China and Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines.

Manila accuses Beijing of blocking access to Filipino troops stationed at the shoal which serves a military outpost for the Philippines, which has troops stationed there. China maintains it has sovereignty over the shoal.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday welcomed a “provisional agreement” reached between Beijing and Manila regarding the latter’s resupply missions to the shoal.

He still noted that Washington and Manila continued to worry about Beijing’s actions.

“Both of us share concerns – and many other countries in the region share concerns as well – about some of the actions that the People’s Republic of China has taken,” he said, calling them “escalatory actions” in the South China Sea as well as in the East China Sea.

Philippine-Vietnam coast guard drills

U.S. Defense Secretary Austin, for his part, said that the new funding sends a “clear message of support” and indicated that the allies were “operating more closely and capably than ever.” 

China, in reaction, called on Manila not to be swayed by the U.S. which is not a party to the overlapping claims in the region. 

On Wednesday, Lin Jian, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said Washington was interfering on maritime issues between Manila and Beijing. He warned the Philippines against being turned into “a chess piece” in a geopolitical game by the U.S. 

“The Philippines needs to see that ganging up with countries outside the region to engage in confrontation in the South China Sea will only destabilize the region and create more tensions,” Lin said.

Vietnam, another Southeast Asian nation that contests China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea, said that a 2,400-ton vessel left central Vietnam on Wednesday and is expected to arrive in Manila on Aug. 5 for joint drills with the Philippine Coast Guard.

The two sides will offer training in “responding to different scenarios in international waters,” the Vietnam People’s Army newspaper reported. It did not provide details.

The Vietnamese ship is expected to remain in Philippine waters until Aug. 9 with the Vietnamese crew taking part in joint training exercises including search and rescue, fire and explosion prevention and maritime safety with the Philippine Coast Guard.

During a state visit by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to Vietnam in January, the two sides signed understandings on maritime cooperation between coast guards, among other things. 

Jeoffrey Maitem in Davao City, Philippines, and Radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews, contributed to this report.