Philippines, US, Japan hold joint South China Sea drills amid renewed clashes with China

Manila and Beijing continue to trade accusations over a series of clashes at two disputed features in the South China Sea last week.

Joint Military Exercises Conclude Amid Tensions

The Philippines on Saturday concluded a series of joint maritime exercises with the United States and Japan in the South China Sea, set against a backdrop of heightened tensions between Philippine and Chinese vessels at two disputed features.

The 17th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity, which began on July 21, brought together warships, coast guard vessels, and surveillance and fighter aircraft, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said in a statement.

"Throughout the five-day activity, participating forces carried out a series of advanced maritime interoperability exercises," the AFP said. These included:

• Communication exercises
• Replenishment at sea operations
• Division tactics

The exercises underscored "the enduring partnership among the partner nations in promoting peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific region," the statement said. They also reflected the AFP's "continuing commitment in ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight while deterring illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive activities" in the South China Sea.

The Philippine military did not disclose the exact location of the exercises.

Anniversary of Arbitral Ruling

The drills took place amid resurgent tensions in the contested waterway, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the South China Sea arbitral ruling. The ruling, handed down by a special tribunal in The Hague, found that China's expansive "nine-dash line" claim in the South China Sea had no basis under international law. China does not recognize the ruling, calling it "null and void."

Clashes at Scarborough Shoal

On Friday, the Philippines accused the China Coast Guard (CCG) of firing water cannon at its vessels near Scarborough Shoal for the second consecutive day.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said the incident occurred while the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) were delivering fuel and provisions to Filipino fishing boats. The mission was part of a national initiative "to ensure the safety and security of Filipino fisherfolk exercising their legitimate rights in their traditional fishing ground."

According to the PCG, water cannons struck both PCG and BFAR vessels with high-pressure water streams, while a separate CCG vessel came within approximately 7 meters of a BFAR boat, creating "a serious risk of collision." The PCG released several videos it claims show the water cannon incidents.

"The PCG strongly condemns the dangerous and unprofessional actions of the China Coast Guard," PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela said in a statement.

Scarborough Shoal, which lies within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), was a traditional fishing ground of Filipinos, "whose rights cannot be lawfully impeded by any foreign power," Tarriela said. The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea described the actions as "unlawful and dangerous."

China's Response

The CCG accused the Philippines of organizing several government and PCG vessels, along with a large number of fishing vessels, to "illegally gather" around the shoal, which China refers to as Huangyan Dao. It said it had taken legal measures to warn, block, and deploy water cannon after the Philippine official vessels ignored those measures and "insisted on intruding."

A similar confrontation occurred at Scarborough Shoal on Thursday, when the PCG accused its Chinese counterpart of undertaking "illegal, coercive, and aggressive actions," including the use of water cannons, to disrupt a supply mission. The CCG countered by urging the Philippines to "immediately cease its infringing and provocative actions" and reasserting China's sovereignty over the disputed shoal.

Background on Scarborough Shoal

Located approximately 200 kilometers west of the Philippines' Luzon island and 874 kilometers from China's Hainan Island, Scarborough Shoal has been a persistent flashpoint in maritime disputes between the Philippines and China. The shoal has been under Chinese control since a stand-off between the two sides in 2012, and the CCG regularly stations vessels around the triangular atoll. In recent years, they have made repeated attempts to restrict Filipino fishermen from accessing the rich fishing grounds inside the atoll's central lagoon.

Incident at Second Thomas Shoal

The two incidents at Scarborough Shoal followed a confrontation on July 20 at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands, approximately 650 kilometers away, in which Philippine and Chinese personnel exchanged direct physical blows. The Philippines said one of its personnel sustained a head injury after being struck with a baton by CCG personnel.