The U.S. and Philippine coast guards carried out joint drills on Wednesday in the South China Sea, where the U.S. ally is engaged in a long-running territorial dispute with China.
The drills took place near Lubang Island in the Philippines’ Occidental Mindoro province and involved the U.S. Coast Guard cutter the Waesche and the Melchora Aquino, one of the largest patrol vessels in the Philippine coast guard fleet.
The exercises included bilateral sailing, search-and-rescue operations, firefighting simulations and medical evacuations, the coast guards of both countries said in statements.
“We look forward to fostering our relationship as we strive to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Captain Tyson Scofield, the commander of the Waesche, the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area reported. “Sharing lessons learned and best practices through person-to-person exercises is the best way to improve our ability to operate together on the unforgiving ocean.”
Jay Tarriela, a spokesperson for the Philippine coast guard, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the coast guards would “continue to expand their collaboration and jointly strengthen their capabilities to effectively respond to maritime contingencies and promote a safe, secure and peaceful rules-based maritime order.”
The Waesche is assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15 in the Seventh Fleet, the U.S.’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet. The U.S. Coast Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tensions are high as Manila, one of the U.S.’s oldest allies in Asia, pushes back against Chinese activities near features in the South China Sea located within the Philippines’ internationally recognized exclusive economic zone.
These tensions escalated last month near the Spratly Islands’ Second Thomas Shoal when Chinese forces intercepted a Philippine supply mission to a military outpost. The confrontation resulted in several injuries, testing the seven-decade-old U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty, which President Joe Biden has called “ironclad.”
Earlier this month, Manila and Beijing signed an agreement to create hotlines between the offices of their respective presidents to prevent further escalation, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
Newsweek has contacted the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines for comment via written requests.
China‘s claims, which cover most of the sea, also conflict with those of Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. In 2016, a panel of judges at the Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration largely dismissed China’s claims in a ruling Beijing contends is “illegal.”
The United Nations estimates that over one-fifth of global trade passes through the energy-rich waterway each year.
U.S. forces join their Philippine allies for drills multiple times a year, including for their largest annual exercise, Balikatan, which this year saw the participation of the French and Australian navies and 14 observer states.
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