(Manila) The Philippines will hold joint naval exercises with the United States, Japan and Australia, two diplomatic sources told AFP on Thursday, as part of strengthening their military cooperation in the face of growing influence of China in the region.
The exercise is planned for Sunday in the South China Sea, a maritime area over which Beijing claims almost complete sovereignty, a few days before a summit which is due to bring together American President Joe Biden and the leaders of the Philippines and Japan in Washington.
The diplomatic sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the exercises have not yet been officially announced.
Earlier this week, the Australian warship HMAS Warramunga arrived in the Philippine province of Palawan, close to a disputed maritime zone.
The visit aims to “strengthen military relations with partner nations,” the Philippine military said.
Last year, regional tensions intensified, with China more assertively asserting its claims to maritime areas also claimed by the Philippines and Japan, as well as the autonomously governed island of Taiwan.
In response, the United States has sought to strengthen its alliances in the region, particularly with its traditional allies Japan and the Philippines.
Biden’s summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House on April 11 follows a series of high-level meetings with U.S. partners in the Asia-Pacific.
Joint patrols
Joint patrols between the American, Japanese and Philippine coast guards should be announced at the summit, one of the diplomatic sources told AFP.
The naval exercises and summit come after several confrontations between Chinese and Filipino ships near atolls off the Philippines in recent months.
Several senior U.S. officials have repeatedly affirmed the United States’ “ironclad” commitment to defending the Philippines in the South China Sea against armed attack.
At the same time, the Philippines and Japan have started talks towards a defense pact that would allow both countries to deploy troops in each other’s territories.
Manila has already reached a similar agreement with Australia and the United States.
In an interview with the Nikkei business daily on Thursday, Kishida said Japan needs to show a greater presence and “take greater responsibility” to provide options to the Philippines and other countries. ‘South East Asia.
He also said Tokyo, Washington and Manila “will work together to carry out trilateral cooperation projects”, including in the areas of semiconductors, digital technology and next-generation nuclear energy.