Philippines ends 5-day joint drill with US, Japan in South China Sea amid China tensions

Published Jul 27, 01:00 AM UTC

The Philippines concluded a five-day joint maritime exercise with the United States and Japan in the South China Sea from July 21-25, 2026, amid heightened tensions with China. The drills, involving warships, coast guard vessels, and aircraft, aimed to promote freedom of navigation and deter illegal activities. Concurrently, the Philippines accused the China Coast Guard of firing water cannons at its vessels near Scarborough Shoal on two consecutive days, disrupting supply missions to Filipino fishermen. China countered that the Philippines had illegally gathered vessels around the shoal, which it claims as Huangyan Dao. A separate physical clash occurred at Second Thomas Shoal on July 20, where a Philippine personnel was injured. These incidents coincide with the 10th anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea arbitral ruling, which China rejects.