MANILA – In another sign that the South China Sea is at the heart of a brewing US-China new Cold War, both superpowers conducted tit-for-tat wargames in the disputed maritime area in the opening days of the new year.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) conducted the second iteration of the Maritime Cooperation Activity naval drills in the South China Sea from January 3 to 4 in a clear show of force by the two mutual defense treaty allies.
While the US sent its flagship Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), which was accompanied by a guided missile cruiser and two destroyers from its Carrier Strike Group 1, the Philippines deployed its flagship offshore patrol vessels BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PS-15), which was accompanied by three other warships and two naval helicopters.
The drills focused on cross-deck exercises, fixed-wing flight operations, joint patrols and maritime communication, according to reports.
Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner praised the wargames as a “significant leap” in enhancing interoperability between the two defense allies and underscored the Philippines’ “progress in defense capabilities and development as a world-class armed force” amid its deepening maritime disputes with China. They marked the second major bilateral naval drills held since November.
Viewing the Philippine-US exercises as part of a broader Pentagon-led containment strategy, China responded in kind.
The Chinese foreign ministry lambasted the drills as “provocative military activities” aimed at “flaunting their military might” while People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) reportedly deployed two warships to shadow the American and Filipino navies conducting drills close to the Scarborough Shoal and Reed Bank – two disputed features that fall within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone that are also claimed by Beijing.
Flexing its own military power, the PLA Southern Theater Command announced that it had deployed naval and aerial assets to the area to monitor “disruptive” activities.
The tit-for-tat exercises are clearly part of a broader strategic contest, with the protagonists intent on enhancing their relative position in the disputed waters. While the Philippines is relying on its powerful allies to preserve its sovereign claims in the area, the US is determined to demonstrate its naval primacy in the Indo-Pacific.
China, now equipped with the world’s largest naval fleet, is clearly in no mood to back down and remains determined to deter the Philippines from fortifying its position in the disputed areas while also keeping the US at strategic bay.
The upshot is a perilous game of chicken, pitting the two most powerful navies against each other in arguably the world’s most important waterway.
Explosive situation
Although the maritime disputes have bubbled for decades, recent months have been particularly volatile.
In November, as many as 38 Chinese vessels swarmed the Philippine-claimed Second Thomas Shoal during an AFP resupply mission. A month later, two Philippine vessels, one belonging to the Philippine Navy and the other to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), suffered damage after encounters and clashes with Chinese coast guard vessels.
Meanwhile, an armada of Chinese militia vessels were spotted in the Spratly Group of Islands, indicating the potential commencement of new reclamation activities by the Asian powerhouse in the disputed area.
As many as 135 Chinese militia vessels anchored close to the Philippine-claimed Whitsun Reef in early December. Between November and December, on at least two occasions, Chinese vessels reportedly water-cannoned Philippine resupply vessels, including one hosting the Filipino military chief, raising the potential for armed confrontation.
When the Philippines and US conducted naval drills in November, China responded with its own live-fire training. Despite repeated warnings by Beijing, however, the Philippines has doubled down on its defense alliance with the US to enhance its leverage in the disputed waters.
That all provided added motivation for this past week’s joint US-Philippine exercises, which were likely just the beginning of a long series of joint military activities throughout the year in the South China Sea. The Philippine top brass is clearly enthused with the reinvigoration of the defense alliance under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“The second maritime cooperative activity marks a significant leap in our alliance and interoperability with the United States. It also demonstrates our progress in defense capabilities and development as a world-class armed force, as we carry out our mandate to protect the people and the state,” AFP chief Brawner said following the exercises.
“Our alliance is stronger than ever, sending a message to the world. We are advancing a rules-based international order and a free and open Indo-Pacific region in the face of regional challenges,” he added, echoing US rhetoric often aimed at China on the region’s crucial waterways.
For China, however, not only is the US unduly interfering in regional maritime disputes but it’s also orchestrating a broader containment strategy with allied nations such as the Philippines.
China’s foreign ministry immediately condemned the latest Philippine-US exercises as “provocative military activities” staged at the expense of “the management and control of the maritime situation and related disputes.”
“China will continue to resolutely safeguard our own territorial sovereignty and maritime interests,” the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement, squarely placing the blame on the two allied nations for stoking tensions in the region.
China’s counter-wargames featured a Type 052D guided-missile destroyer and a Type 054A frigate.
“Troops in the theater remain on high alert at all times, resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests,” the PLA command said shortly after the Philippine-US drills kicked off.
“Any military activities that disrupt and create hotspots in the South China Sea are fully under control,” the Chinese military command added.
Follow Richard Javad Heydarian on X, formerly Twitter, at @Richeydarian