On Sunday, the United States, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines will conduct joint naval and air drills in the disputed South China Sea, their defence chiefs stated, as they strengthen ties to confront China’s growing assertiveness in the area.
The drill will take place in the contentious waterway, which Beijing claims nearly fully, only days before US President Joe Biden’s first trilateral summit with the leaders of the Philippines and Japan.
On Saturday, in a joint statement, they stated, “Our combined defense/armed forces will conduct a Maritime Cooperative Activity within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone on April 7, 2024”.
They went on to say that it would show the allies’ collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“The drills named the ‘Maritime Cooperative Activity’ will include naval and air force units from all four countries”, the statement reads.
The four defence chiefs announced that they would strengthen the interoperability of our… doctrines, tactics, techniques, and procedures.
There were no specifics on what the drills would precisely include.
According to a statement from the Japanese embassy in Manila, the drills would include anti-submarine warfare training.
Earlier this week, Australian warship HMAS Warramunga arrived on the Philippine island of Palawan, where the water is highly contested.
The exercise and summit follow recent clashes between Chinese and Philippine sailors near disputed reefs off the Southeast Asian country.
China has blamed the Philippines for escalating tensions in the highly contentious strait, where Beijing and Manila have a long history of maritime territorial conflicts.
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