China can watch as the Philippines and the United States conduct with France their biggest Balikatan military exercise in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), as long as Beijing observes international law.
According to Philippine exercise director Maj. Gen. Marvin Licudine, they are expecting China’s vessels to be present during the biggest iteration of the military exercise between the three nations and observer countries like Japan.
While the Philippines is poorly armed, its proximity to the South China Sea and Taiwan would make it a key partner for the US in the event of a conflict with China.
“The purpose of armed forces, why we exist, is really to prepare for war,” Philippine Col. Michael Logico was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse ahead of the drills. “There’s no sugarcoating it... for us not to prepare, that’s a disservice to the country.”
The US has deployed its Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) guided missiles to the Philippines for Balikatan, but Logico said the weapons would not be used in the drills.
China warning
China’s foreign ministry has accused the United States of “stoking military confrontation,” and warned the Philippines to “stop sliding down the wrong path.”
The exercises, which will run until 10 May, will involve around 11,000 American and 5,000 Filipino troops, as well as French and Australian military personnel.
A day before the official opening of the Balikatan Exercise, former US Air Force official and ex-Defense Attaché Ray Powell said on X (formerly Twitter) that two maritime militia ships left China’s military base at Mischief Reef and stayed near Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) for six hours.
Within 30 miles
According to Powell, the Chinese vessels moved to within 30 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan.
“China’s militia ships have turned back in the direction of Mischief Reef after loitering just outside the Philippines’ 24-nautical mile contiguous zone,” he said.
Powell questioned China’s “very odd behavior.”
“Perhaps it’s intended to send a message at the beginning of the Philippines-US Balikatan exercise,” he said.
Thousands of Filipino and American troops kicked off the joint military exercise on Monday as Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the region has raised fears of a conflict.
The annual drill will be concentrated in the northern and western parts of the Philippines, near the potential flashpoints of the South China Sea (SCS) and Taiwan.
China claims almost the entire SCS, a key route for international trade, and it considers self-ruled Taiwan part of its territory.
Getting better
“We’re going to show the people of the Philippines and the world that we’ve gotten better and we’re never going to stop doing so,” said Lt. Gen. William Jurney, commander of US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, at the opening ceremony in Manila.
“When we get better, the Philippines gets stronger, safer and more secure,” Jurney said.
Exercise director Licudine maintained Balikatan was not directed at any country.
Freedom of navigation
“As to that report (of Powell), I cannot confirm or deny it. But surely, I would say that we would expect some presence of the Chinese side because they have built structures in these areas,” Licudine told reporters.
“We always adhere to international law and the freedom of navigation in these seas. So I think we would not see any problem as long as we follow international law and our mutually agreed cooperative mechanisms,” he added.
In response to China’s growing influence, the United States has been bolstering alliances with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Philippines. Washington and Manila are treaty allies and have deepened their defense cooperation since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022.
After multiple run-ins between its vessels and the China Coast Guard, which monitors reefs off the Philippine coast, the Philippine Coast Guard will finally join Balikatan.
The joint exercises would simulate an armed takeover of an island in the province of Palawan, which is the closest major landmass to the contentiously disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
The same exercise will be held in the northern provinces of Cagayan and Batanes, both less than 300 kilometers (180 miles) from Taiwan. Like last year, there will be a sinking of a vessel off the northern province of Ilocos Norte.
Info war
Other training will concern information warfare, maritime security, and integrated air and missile defense.
France, which is taking part in Balikatan for the first time, is going to send out a warship to engage in joint training with US and Philippine vessels. Observer nations will number fourteen, spanning Europe and Asia.
Another first, according to Logico, is that the exercises will cross the territorial waters of the Philippines, which are located roughly 22 kilometers off its coast.
AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner said Balikatan is an “extraordinary opportunity for us to deepen our collaborations with friends, partners and allies.”
“Cooperation and military to military collaboration play vital roles in ensuring a safer global community for generations to come,” Brawner said.
