Three weeks ago, Philippine President Benigno Aquino “went there” when, in a speech to Japanese lawmakers, the self-proclaimed “amateur student of history” compared [5] China’s land reclamation efforts in the South China Sea to the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia.
This prompted Beijing to advise “certain people” in the Philippines to “repent” and “stop their provocations.”
Aquino would do neither.
Shortly thereafter, the Philippines aired a documentary [6] entitled “Maritime Rights” designed to drum up domestic support for the government’s tough stance towards Beijing’s activities in the disputed waters around the Spratlys.
Since then, China has “completed” its dredging efforts and although the PLA admits it will use the new islands for military purposes, a new propaganda campaign [7] has been launched, designed to show that despite attempts by the US and its regional allies to cast aspersions, island life in the Spratlys is all about girls, gardening, puppies, and pigs.
Apparently that wasn’t enough to calm Aquino’s fears of an impending Chinese blitzkrieg because as Reuters reports, tempers are once again flaring between Beijing and Manila with China accusing the Philippines of “roping” other countries in and attempting to incite a war. Here’s more [8]:
China's military on Thursday accused the Philippines of trying to "rope in" other countries to the dispute over ownership of the South China Sea and stir regional tension after Japan joined a military drill with the Philippines.
According to Japanese and Philippine officials, a Japanese surveillance aircraft, with three Filipino guest crew members, this week flew at 5,000 feet (1,524 m) above the edge of Reed Bank, an energy-rich area that is claimed by both China and the Philippines. It was accompanied by a smaller Philippine patrol aircraft.
Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun, asked about the exercises, said that bilateral military cooperation between countries should benefit regional peace and security and not harm the interests of third parties.
"Certain countries are roping in countries from outside the region to get involved in the South China Sea issue, putting on a big show of force, deliberately exaggerating the tense atmosphere in the region," he told a monthly news briefing.
"This way of doing things will not have a beneficial effect on the situation in the South China Sea."
Earlier this week, Japan and the US joined the Philippines in conducting military drills near the disputed waters where China and others have conducted land reclamation projects. Here's Bloomberg [9]:
The U.S. and Japan are conducting separate military drills with the Philippines near the disputed South China Sea, signaling support for the country as China builds out reclaimed reefs in the waters.
The annual CARAT Philippines joint exercise started Monday off the east coast of Palawan island and will run until June 26, according to U.S. Navy spokesman Arlo Abrahamson. The Philippine and Japanese navies are holding drills around the same island through June 27, Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force said last week.
The drill includes a sea phase with the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth, diving and salvage ship USNS Safeguard and a P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft and at least one Philippine frigate, according to the U.S. Navy. It’s the first time a littoral combat ship has taken part in CARAT Philippines.
Japan’s exercises with the Philippines will take place adjacent to the Spratly Islands, where China has created more than 2,000 acres of land in waters also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia. Japan will send a P-3C anti-submarine, maritime surveillance aircraft and 20 personnel.
“The intent of CARAT is enhancing capabilities, navy-to-navy capabilities, increasing interoperability,” Rear Admiral Leopoldo Alano, commander of the Philippine Fleet, told reporters on Monday on Palawan. “These can be used both in wartime missions or missions other than war.”
The war games "should not be taken as an affront to any other and are an expression of cooperation and learning from all those involved,” an Aquino spokesperson said.
That's good to know, because when it comes to learning how to keep a tense situation from escalating into a full-blown military conflict, there's surely no better teacher than the US.
