Canada, Australia and the Philippines deployed three warships and plane Wednesday for drills in opposition to simulated aerial threats off a disputed South China Sea shoal the place Chinese language forces have used dangerous maneuvers to attempt to drive away Manila’s plane and ships.
The Philippine army mentioned the naval drills east of the Scarborough Shoal had been concluded safely, and it didn’t point out any encounter with Chinese language coast guard, navy and suspected militia ships which have been intently guarding the uninhabited fishing atoll off the northwestern Philippines for years.
Chinese language officers didn’t instantly challenge any touch upon the naval drills however they’ve repeatedly warned that they might defend the shoal and outlying waters, which they declare as Beijing’s territory, in any respect price.
China and the Philippines declare Scarborough and different islands, islets and reefs within the South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan additionally lay overlapping claims within the busy waterway, a key international commerce route.
The USA has no claims however has questioned China’s declare to nearly the complete sea passage, together with to Scarborough. Two U.S. warships sailed off the shoal this month to advertise freedom of navigation and had been shadowed by a Chinese language navy ship.
Crusing from a western Philippine province, the Royal Australian Navy’s guided-missile destroyer HMAS Brisbane, Canadian navy frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec and a Philippine navy guided-missile frigate BRP Jose Rizal performed workout routines east of the shoal, together with the “air protection train that honed the members’ functionality to counter simulated aerial threats by way of coordinated defensive maneuvers,” the Philippine army mentioned in a quick assertion.
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Video footage and pictures issued by the Philippine army present at the least three fighter jets hovering within the sky through the drills whereas two fight helicopters individually flew close to the Philippine navy frigate.
“This engagement reaffirms the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ dedication to advancing protection cooperation with like-minded nations,” it mentioned.
The drills had been among the many remaining actions of the largest army workout routines Australia has staged with the Philippines that concerned greater than 3,600 army personnel for 15 days of live-fire and battle maneuvers that will finish on Friday.
Canada and a number of other safety companions despatched army forces as observers.
One in all Asia’s most delicate flashpoints, the Scarborough Shoal has been intently guarded by China’s forces, which suffered a setback on Aug. 11 when a Chinese language navy ship unintentionally collided with a Chinese language coast guard ship whereas making an attempt to dam a Philippine coast guard vessel close to the shoal.
The Chinese language coast guard ship’s bow was severely broken by the high-velocity crash which Philippine army officers mentioned could have killed at the least two Chinese language personnel based mostly on video footage. China has to this point refused to supply particular particulars of the harm and potential casualties.
Two days after the Chinese language collision, the U.S. Navy deployed a guided missile destroyer and a littoral fight ship that sailed about 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) from Scarborough in what it referred to as freedom of navigation operations to problem China’s territorial claims. The U.S. Navy ships had been shadowed by a Chinese language navy ship however there have been no studies of any untoward incident, the Philippine coast guard.
The Philippines is the oldest treaty ally of the U.S. in Asia. Washington has repeatedly warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines if Filipino forces come underneath an armed assault, together with within the South China Sea.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
