China's PLA launches Scarborough Shoal drills as US, Philippine forces train together

China carried out joint naval and air exercises around the Scarborough Shoal on Saturday, as US and Philippine forces took part in five-way military manoeuvres in the South China Sea within Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

It was China's second such exercise near the contested shoal in two months, both held at the same time as multilateral Philippine exercises.

Hours earlier, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the United States not to "stir up trouble" in the South China Sea, as he met his US counterpart Antony Blinken in New York. According to the US Department of State, Blinken blamed Beijing for "dangerous and destabilising actions" in the disputed waters.

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The Southern Theatre of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), which is responsible for military operations in the South China Sea, said that it had organised routine exercises and training activities around Huangyan Island, the Chinese name for the Beijing-controlled Scarborough Shoal.

The exercises included reconnaissance and early warning drills, as well as sea and air patrols, the theatre said on its official WeChat social media page on Saturday.

"Some external countries are meddling in the South China Sea and creating regional instability ... The theatre forces remain highly vigilant, and resolutely defend national sovereignty, security, and maritime rights and interests," the post said, without explicitly referring to the Philippines or other regional US allies.

It did not clarify how long the PLA drills would last, or which units were taking part.

The Chinese patrols appeared to be a response to drills being carried out the same day by the Philippines and the US alongside forces from Australia, Japan and New Zealand in what is one of the most sensitive maritime regions in Asia.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines announced the "Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity" in a statement issued on Saturday.

The joint maritime activities by the five militaries would demonstrate their "collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific [and enhance] ... cooperation and interoperability", the statement said.

US allies in the region, such as Japan and Australia, have frequently raised the alarm about China's maritime moves amid confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed waters.

During his meeting with Blinken, top Chinese diplomat Wang said that Beijing was committed to resolving disputes with the relevant parties through dialogue and consultation.

"The US should not always stir up trouble in the South China Sea or undermine the efforts of regional countries to maintain peace and stability," Wang told Blinken on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of their meeting in New York. Photo: AFP alt=Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of their meeting in New York. Photo: AFP>

Scarborough Shoal, called Panatag Shoal in the Philippines, is claimed by both Beijing and Manila. The shoal sits within the Philippine EEZ, a UN-mandated area granting exclusive use of underwater resources up to 200 nautical miles (370km) from a country's territorial sea.

China has maintained effective control over the shoal following a tense stand-off with the Philippines in 2012. Manila took its case to an international tribunal, which ruled in its favour in 2016. But Beijing, which refused to participate in the arbitration case, rejected the decision.

Beijing lays claim to most of the vast South China Sea, claims that overlap with neighbours including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

Saturday's Southern Theatre exercise near Scarborough Shoal was the second such PLA drill since August 7. The exercises tested reconnaissance, early warning, rapid mobility and joint strike capabilities, according to the PLA, and coincided with the Philippine military's first joint exercise with the US, Canada and Australia the same day.

China and the Philippines have been involved in a series of sea and air confrontations in disputed South China Sea areas in the past year, including at Scarborough Shoal. The intensity of the stand-offs have sparked fears of drawing in the US, a Philippine treaty ally.

Last month, Manila accused a Chinese fighter jet of firing flares several times at a Philippine fisheries bureau aircraft patrolling the Scarborough Shoal. The flares were deployed "at a dangerously close distance" of about 15 metres (49 feet), it said, labelling the move as "hazardous".

China has been closely watching Philippine attempts to boost its defence capabilities by ramping up related agreements and training with international partners, including the first joint exercises in the South China Sea with Japanese forces nearly two months ago.

In late July, Washington and Manila signed an agreement that included US$500 million in new defence aid aimed at modernising the Philippine military and coastguard. Earlier that month, the Philippines and Japan agreed to allow troop access between the two nations.

Manila is also strengthening ties with other South China Sea claimants, and carried out joint coastguard exercises with Vietnam in early August.

Frequent cooperation between the Philippines and other US allies has enraged Beijing, which views Washington as the main backer of Manila's South China Sea actions.

At the meeting with Blinken, Wang urged Washington to build a "rational perception of China", highlighting that the US had repeatedly stated its intention to avoid conflict with China.

"This involves building a correct approach to bilateral interactions, and engaging in dialogue with respect ... and handling disagreements with utmost caution, rather than acting unilaterally and behaving capriciously," Wang said.

"The United States should not always approach China with two faces: on the one hand encircling and suppressing China brazenly, and on the other hand, having dialogue and cooperation with China as if nothing is wrong."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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