Join our crew and become one of the 110,605 members that receive our newsletter.

U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Navy team up in the South China Sea. Picture taken April 18, 2020. Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicholas Huynh/U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS

Royal Australian Navy guided-missile frigate HMAS Parramatta (FFH 154) (L) sails with U.S. Navy Amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) and Arleigh-Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) in the South China Sea, April 18, 2020. Picture taken April 18, 2020. Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicholas Huynh/U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS

Five Allied Navies Drill Amid China’s Massive Military Exercise

Reuters
Total Views: 55
September 28, 2024
Reuters

By Neil Jerome Morales

MANILA, Sept 28 (Reuters) – The armed forces of five countries conducted joint maritime exercises in a portion of the South China Sea on Saturday as China carried out its own military drills in the disputed waterway.

The exercises involving the Philippines, United States, Australia, Japan and – for the first time – New Zealand took place in Manila’s exclusive economic zone and sought to improve the militaries’ interoperability, the Philippine armed forces said in a statement.

Saturday’s exercises included a Philippine warship, the United States’ USS Howard, Japan’s JS Sazanami, and New Zealand’s HMNZS Aotearoa, it added.

Also Read: China’s Navy Deploys Triple Carrier Fleet, Icebreakers, and 400 Joint Ships in Massive Show of Strength

Australia’s Department of Defence said the drills demonstrated “our collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific”.

The exercises follow a series of air and sea encounters between the Philippines and China, which have sparred over disputed areas of the South China Sea, including the Scarborough Shoal, one of Asia’s most contested features. The shoal has been occupied by China’s coast guard for more than a decade.

On Wednesday, naval vessels from New Zealand and Australia sailed through the Taiwan Strait, part of the South China Sea.

China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own, says it alone exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction over the strait. Both the U.S. and Taiwan say the strait – a major trade route through which about half of global container ships pass – is an international waterway.

Read Also: China Surges Into West Philippine Sea with Massive 251-Ship Armada


Australia has “consistently pressed China on peace and stability in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait”, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday.

“We have welcomed the resumption of leader and military level dialogue between the U.S. and China,” Wong said, according to a transcript.

Chinese air and naval forces conducted manoeuvres in a disputed area of the sea hours after the country’s top diplomat discussed ways of reducing regional tension with his U.S. counterpart.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, despite overlapping maritime claims by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, angering its neighbours.

(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Helen Popper)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024.

Unlock Exclusive Insights Today!

Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.

Sign Up
Back to Main
polygon icon polygon icon

Why Join the gCaptain Club?

Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.

Sign Up
close

JOIN OUR CREW

Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 110,605 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.