US and Philippines begin annual drills in disputed South China Sea

Days after the most recent diplomatic spat between Manila and Beijing over the contested South China Sea, the United States and the Philippines began their annual combined naval war games on Monday.

US and Philippines begin annual drills: The biennial “Samasama” (Tagalog for Together) anti-submarine, surface, and electronic warfare drills off Manila and the south of Luzon, the main island of the Philippines, are being conducted by more than a thousand sailors from the two allies.

Washington and its allies in the region are growing more concerned about China’s aggression in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually entirely despite a 2016 international verdict that it lacks legal justification.

Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, commander of the US Pacific Command, told sailors during the opening ceremony in Manila that every nation’s right to protect its national sovereignty was “under attack every day on the high seas.”

He claimed, without singling out China, that one nation had “challenged, eroded, and tested” the “rules-based international order” that had long ensured peace in the region, benefiting only itself and not all nations.

The only way to ensure security and sovereignty, according to Thomas, is to sail and work together.

When asked about whom he was referring to during a news conference, Thomas emphasized the importance of preserving the liberty to sail in the area “free from worries about being attack” or “intimidate.”

In recent weeks, Beijing has sent out patrol boats, which Manila claims harass Philippine coast guard ships and Filipino fishermen in what it calls the West Philippine Sea.

Last month, on the President Ferdinand Marcos’ special order, coast guard members severed the cable securing floating barrier near the Chinese-controlled Scarborough Shoal.

Manila claimed that the barrier had prohibited Filipino fishermen from accessing fish-rich coral system that China had taken control of in 2012.

Beijing reaffirmed its sovereignty over what it names Huangyan island and warned Manila “not to provoke or stir up trouble” in its response.

“Multinational Naval Exercises in the Pacific: USS Dewey, Allies, and Partners Join Forces”

Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci, commander of the Philippine Navy, stated that the Samasama exercise “equips us to face an array of threats together.”

According to US Navy authorities, the guided missile destroyer USS Dewey, a dry cargo ammunition ship, and a P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft will all participate in the exercises over the course of the next 12 days.

In addition, a destroyer from the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force, the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Vancouver, and a guided missile frigate from the Philippine Navy would take part.

As part of the drills, personnel from Britain, Japan, Canada, France, and Australia will also participate in tabletop exercises; observers from New Zealand and Indonesia will also participate.