US, Australia, Philippines hold second joint drills in South China Sea this year

MANILA, April 13 (Reuters) – The United States and Australia joined the Philippines for their second joint maritime exercises in the South China Sea this year, amid tensions with China in the disputed waterway.

The four-day drills from April 9 to 12 brought together warships, fighter jets and surveillance aircraft in a series of coordinated operations to strengthen maritime defence capabilities, the Philippine military said on Monday. 

The exercises underscored the “deepening defence cooperation among the three nations and their shared commitment to regional security”, it said in a statement.

The Philippines deployed its FA‑50 fighter jets, while Australia contributed P‑8A Poseidon aircraft and the United States the USS Ashland, a dock landing ship. 

The drills came ahead of the April 20 opening of the annual large-scale war games called Balikatan – or “shoulder-to-shoulder” – between Manila and Washington, which for the first time will include Japan as a full participant rather than an observer, alongside Australia.

Japan and the Philippines signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement in 2024, among the growing number of troop pacts Manila has signed with like-minded partners.  

On March 26, the Philippines signed a similar military deal with France. France’s embassy in Manila said on Monday that it will send a reduced contingent of 15 to 20 troops to the Balikatan exercises, down from 150, after rerouting a major naval deployment in Asia back to Europe due to the Middle East crisis. 

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner has said that there would be no downgrading of its annual war games with the U.S. and its allies despite the ongoing Middle East conflict.

The Philippines and China have traded accusations of responsibility over a series of encounters in the South China Sea, including a recent incident in which Manila accused Beijing of firing flares nL4N40S0OJ at a Philippine Coast Guard aircraft. 

Beijing, which has maintained that its actions in the South China Sea have been lawful and professional, has routinely opposed Manila’s joint military activities with its allied partners, saying such drills heighten tensions in the region.    

(Reporting by Nestor Corrales, additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom and Jessie Pang in Hong Kong; Editing by Kevin Buckland)