Chinese and US Military Drills in South China Sea: A Reflection of Strategic Rivalry

The picture of Philippines' Coast Guard ships
Image Credit: Google 

Amid Chinese growing influence in South China Sea and the region at large the coastguards of the United States, Japan and the Philippines are set to launch maritime exercises in the South China Sea, in the first such drills between the three countries.

Schedule and Venue:

The military drills shall begin on Thursday and last until 7^th of June. The venue where the exercises will start is waters of Bataan province of Philippines.

Military Diplomacy of Washington:

As United States ramps up it military diplomacy in the region. It has scheduled to stage more frequent war games in the region with its allies.

US encompass in the drills, the area of South China Sea, the waters of Taiwan and the whole Western Pacific region.

About the Trilateral Drills, equipment and weapons used:

The trilateral drills were an initiative of the US and Japan, while Australia would join as an observer. Armand Balilo, who is a spokesperson for the Philippine coastguard, told reporters in Manila on last Monday.

Four Philippine vessels and one each from the US and Japan will participate in exercises. They are designed to improve search and rescue collaboration and law enforcement, he further added.

United States and Japan approached Philippines was approached about holding joint maritime exercises in February, the same month when Manila accused China of aggressive activities in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

According to Philippine coast guard official, “This is a usual routine activity among coastguard agencies,” and “There is nothing wrong with holding exercises with your counterparts.”

Lastly, Balilo revealed that the upcoming maritime exercise will include counter-piracy simulations, and possibly an interception exercise involving a vessel carrying weapons of mass destruction.

Frequent Condemnation of China by US and its allies:

The US and its allies Japan and Australia have frequently condemned China’s growing influence of the South China Sea through militarisation.

The Countries also have sought to engage more closely with the Philippines since Ferdinand Marcos Jr took over as president last year from pro-China predecessor Rodrigo Duterte.

The Philippines has been increasingly vocal about China’s conduct in the strategic waters, including over its alleged use of a “military-grade laser” against a vessel supporting a resupply mission to a ship in the disputed waters.

Corresponding Chinese Military Exercises:

China is also making a push to deepen military engagement with its southerly neighbours. From the past few years, has increased drills in the strategic waterways.

The military exercises it has conducted includes the exercises with Laos, Singapore, and Cambodia this year and is also set to send warships to a multilateral naval exercise hosted by Indonesia this month.

The joint military drill held in May with Laos, its landlocked neighbour. While exercises with Singapore in the southern reaches of the South China Sea.

And in March, China and Cambodia held drills in Cambodian waters for the first time.

Chinese Plans of Military Drills including Amana Youyi-2023:

The Chinese defence ministry said on Wednesday that it will send its destroyer Zhanjiang and frigate Xuchang, both equipped with guided missiles, to the 2023 Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo (MNEK), in Indonesia’s Makassar.

Indonesia has invited to the drills about 47 states, including North Korea, Russia, South Korea and the US. The drill will run from 4^th to 8^th of June.  

China is also planning a joint drill with the states from Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The drills are named Amana Youyi-2023.

Why China and US play such war games?

US and China desire to have strategic depth in the Asia Pacific Region particularly in South China Sea in order to secure their vested interests.

Relations between China and the US have been tense. This tension arises between the world’s two largest economies over everything from Taiwan and Beijing’s human rights record to its military activity in the South China Sea.

(Courtesy: Al-Jazeera)