Philippines, US, Japan hold South China Sea drills as Manila accuses China Coast Guard of water cannon attacks

Published Jul 27, 01:00 AM UTC

The Philippines concluded five-day joint maritime exercises with the United States and Japan in the South China Sea from July 21-25, 2026, amid heightened tensions with China. The drills, designated the 17th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity, involved warships, coast guard vessels, and aircraft conducting interoperability exercises. 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. The incidents follow a physical altercation at Second Thomas Shoal on July 20, where Philippine personnel were injured. The tensions coincide with the 10th anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea arbitral ruling, which China rejects.