Manila, Philippines — U.S. and Philippine forces launched their biggest combat exercises in years on Monday in a display of allied firepower near the disputed South China Sea that has alerted Beijing.
The former treaty allies’ annual exercises will run until May 10 and involve more than 16,000 of their military personnel, along with more than 250 French and Australian forces.
While the Philippine military maintains that training in Balikatan (Tagalog means “shoulder to shoulder”) is not directed at a particular country, some of its main conflict theaters take place in or near the disputed South China Sea, where Chinese and Philippine coasts Guard and escort ships have figured in a series of increasingly tense territorial clashes since last year.
In encounters in disputed areas, Chinese coast guard vessels have resorted to water cannons, blockades and other dangerous maneuvers that have injured Philippine navy personnel and damaged supply ships.
The Philippine military said a key objective of this year’s exercises is territorial defense. “We take the protection of our territory very seriously; that’s why we do these Balikatan exercises,” Col. Michael Logico, who speaks on behalf of the Philippine military in the combat exercises, told The Associated Press.
As disputes between China and the Philippines have escalated, President Joe Biden and his administration have repeatedly warned that the United States is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest ally in Asia, if attacked.
U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. William Jurney said at the ceremony that the large-scale military exercises will demonstrate that the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines “is not just a piece of paper.” ”.
Washington does not claim the disputed waters, but has declared that freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of disputes are in its national interest.
Philippine Military Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner, who opened the exercises in a ceremony, said that as Pacific coastal nations, the United States and the Philippines “understand the importance of maritime cooperation in addressing the complex challenges that threaten peace and security in our country. region of the country.”
China sharply criticized the exercises, saying the Philippines was “joining” countries outside Asia in an obvious reference to the United States and its security partners, and warned that the exercises could instigate confrontation and undermine regional stability.
The combat exercises will include a joint sail by the US, Philippine and French navies in and near disputed waters off the western Philippine province of Palawan, the sinking of a simulated enemy ship using combined US and Philippine firepower , and the retaking of an occupied island. off the northwestern Philippines, according to the Philippine military.
China specifically objected to the transport of a US ground-launched missile system to the northern Philippines ahead of the exercises. No missiles would be fired, but the goal was to familiarize military participants with high-tech weaponry in a tropical environment.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian expressed China’s grave concern over the deployment of the missile system “at China’s doorstep.”
“The US move exacerbates tensions in the region and increases the risk of errors in judgment and calculation,” he said in response to a question at a news conference in Beijing last week. “The Philippines needs to think twice before being a pawn of the United States at the expense of its security interests and stop sliding down the wrong path.”
The Biden administration has been strengthening an arc of alliances to better counter China, including in a potential confrontation over Taiwan, an island democracy that Beijing claims as its own.
This dovetails with the Philippines’ efforts under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to defend its territorial interests by pushing for joint military exercises with the United States. He has also allowed rotating groups of U.S. forces to remain in additional Philippine military camps under a 2014 defense pact, including in the north of his country, which is just a maritime border from Taiwan and southern China.
___
Associated Press writer Iya Forbes in Manila contributed to this report.