In an effort to strengthen their relations and counter China’s increasing assertiveness in the area, the United States, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines will conduct combined naval and air drills in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, their defense chiefs announced in a statement.
Days before US President Joe Biden is scheduled to have his first trilateral summit with the leaders of the Philippines and Japan, an exercise in the disputed waterway, which Beijing claims almost fully, will take place.
“Our combined defense/armed forces will conduct a Maritime Cooperative Activity within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone on April 7, 2024,” they said in a joint statement Saturday.
“Collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” according to the allies, will be demonstrated.
According to the joint statement, naval and air force forces from all four nations would participate in the exercises dubbed the “Maritime Cooperative Activity”.
According to their statement, the four heads of defense will “strengthen the interoperability of our… doctrines, tactics, techniques, and procedures.”
The specifics of the drills’ content were not disclosed.
“Anti-submarine warfare training” will be part of the exercises, according to a statement from the Japanese embassy in Manila.
The Australian cruiser HMAS Warramunga landed on the Philippine island of Palawan earlier this week, facing the fiercely disputed seas.
The exercise and summit come after several run-ins in recent months between Chinese and Philippine sailors close to disputed reefs off the nation in Southeast Asia.
Beijing and Manila have a long history of maritime territorial disputes in the heavily contested strait, and China has accused Manila for escalating tensions there.
