The battle broke out just two days after a war of words between Chinese and Filipino ships off the disputed Scarborough coast.
The US, Japan and the Philippines held a joint military exercise on December 6 amid tensions between Beijing and Manila over tensions in the South China Sea.
It involved the Philippine Army patrol cruiser BRP Andres Bonifacio and a C-90 aircraft, the Japan Maritime Self-Protection Power’s Murasame-class destroyer JS Samedare (DD 106), and the U.S. Army P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. Is. Squadron 47, corresponding to US and Philippine forces.
The statements noted that the exercise was carried out in compliance with world law and taking into account the safety of navigation and the rights of other states.
US Indo-Pacific Command said, “The United States, together with our allies and partners, upholds freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect for maritime rights under international law. ” mentioned.
Since November 2023, the Philippines has conducted 3 Maritime Cooperative Actions (MCAs), two with the US and one with Australia, each with long-standing security assurances in place with the Philippines.
flood of conflict
The drill began on December 6, two days after the actual incident of the collision between barricaded vessels off the Chinese and Philippine coasts in the South China Sea.
Beijing accused the Philippine ships of coming “dangerously close” to Chinese ships in what Beijing views as its territorial waters around Huangyan Island, the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal.
Scarborough Shoal, also known by its Spanish name Bajo de Masinloc, is a triangle-shaped chain of rocks in the South China Sea between mainland China, Taiwan, and the Philippines, all of which claim self-governance over it. .
Located west of Luzon, the main island of the Philippines, Scarborough Shoal serves as a very important fishing area for Filipino villagers and, in line with world law, lies inside the Philippines’ 200-mile unique financial zone.
Since 2012, the Chinese regime has taken control of the area as part of its larger efforts to claim almost the entire South China Sea.
Self-determination has never been established on Scarborough Shoal. In 2016 an international arbitration court ruled that Beijing has no legal basis for its historical claims within the branch, that its blockade there violates world law, and that the branch is a traditional fishing area that It is from ancient times. In the case of fishermen of multiple nationalities, the CCP refused to accept this decision, increasing its military presence and barricading the coast to strengthen its claims.
The Chinese regime claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has disputes over the resource-rich region with several neighbours, including Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and especially the Philippines.
Lily Zhou and Dorothy Lee contributed to this document.