China published images on Thursday that allegedly show Fighter jets fire missiles in South China Sea a disputed maritime area where the USA and the Philippines also conduct military exercises. China and the Philippines have a long history of disputes in these Southeast Asian waters, whose sovereignty is claimed almost entirely by Beijing and through which much international trade passes.
The Chinese army also announced two-day maritime patrols in the South China Sea in response to joint patrols by the United States and the Philippines in the same region. He People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command The Chinese announced in a statement last night that they had organized this “Naval and Air Forces” to carry out a “routine patrol” in the said sea from Wednesday to Thursday.
“The troops are on high alert to safely protect national sovereignty and our maritime rights and interests. “Any military activity that alters the situation or creates tension in the South China Sea will be completely neutralized,” the statement said. According to Chinese experts quoted by the local press, the patrol is a response to the US and Philippine patrol in the same South China Sea. : “Everyone knows who is creating problems in this sea and who is inciting the Philippines to provoke China.”military analyst Song Zhongpin tells the Global Times.
In recent weeks there have been clashes between China and the Philippines in these waters, which Beijing claims almost entirely as its own and in which areas are also disputed with Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei. Last December 10th The Philippines accused the Chinese coast guard of firing a water cannon and ramming its supply ships near Ayungin Atoll. (known as Ren'ai in China), which resulted in “severe engine damage” to one of the ships. The atoll is less than 200 nautical miles from the Philippine coast, the boundary established by international law to delineate a country's exclusive economic zone.
The Asian giant cites historical reasons for claiming sovereignty in the South China Sea, but In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of Manila in its appeal against the Chinese authorities' claims, a decision that China refused to comply with.
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte He was reluctant to criticize his powerful neighbor, but his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who came to power in 2022, took a more decisive position towards the Asian giant and moved closer to the United States. In December, the Philippine Coast Guard released videos showing Chinese vessels firing water cannons at their vessels during two resupply missions to disputed reefs.
There was one too Collision between a Philippine ship and a Chinese coast guard. Both countries blamed each other for the incident. On Thursday, both the Chinese military and state television broadcast footage that purported to show “live firing exercises” in the South China Sea.
“Exhibition of Strength”
This Thursday, China released a video showing fighter jets firing missiles at precise targets. The date of the recording was not specified, but it was broadcast the day after Beijing announced “routine patrols” in those waters through Thursday.
The Chinese army did not provide any information about the location of the maneuvers or the number of soldiers or equipment mobilized. The last military exercise that Beijing made public in this area was in November. He made four more in September. For its part, the United States announced that it would conduct joint air and sea exercises with the Philippines in the waters disputed with the Philippines nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
“The U.S. Navy regularly conducts exercises of this type to strengthen relationships between allies and partner nations,” it said in a statement, noting that the exercises will take place over two days.
A senior official from the Philippine Armed Forces, Xerxex Trinidad, told AFP on Thursday that the maneuvers were taking place in the same area where incidents involving Chinese ships occurred in December. Beijing called the exercises a “provocation” and sees them as an attack on its territorial integrity.
The maneuvers were “carried out with the aim of demonstrating strength and are not intended to control the disputes and the situation” in these disputed waters, reacted Wang Wenbin, a Chinese diplomatic spokesman. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, despite a 2016 ruling to the contrary by the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration.
“Important defensive zone”
Other neighboring countries, such as The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also claim sovereignty in the region. where they control several islands. In recent years, China has built artificial islands in the disputed sea and has militarized them to strengthen its claims. “The South China Sea is becoming an important defense zone for China,” the military analyst told AFP. Michael Raska, Professor at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.
Beijing aims to make this vast maritime area a “navigable waterway controlled exclusively by China” to strengthen its influence and projection ability, he added. Faced with China's territorial claims and its growing influence and military capacity, the Philippines signed military agreements with the United States and Australia this year.
