According to Philippines, US and Japan to hold first-ever joint coast guard exercise | The Star, this week, the coast guards of the Philippines, Japan, and the United States will engage in a trilateral maritime exercise in the South China Sea, the first of its kind involving them at a time of rising worry over China's activities in the area.
Australia would participate as an observer during the drill, which would take place in the seas outside the province of Bataan from June 1 to 7, according to a spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, Armand Balilo, on Monday.
Exercises aimed at enhancing law enforcement and search and rescue cooperation will be taken part in by four Philippine warships as well as one each from the US and Japan, according to Balilo.
In February, the same month that Manila accused China of engaging in provocative operations in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims as its territory, Japan and the US approached the Philippines about performing joint maritime drills. According to Balilo, this is a typical everyday action among coast guard organizations.
Since Ferdinand Marcos Jr. succeeded his pro-China predecessor Rodrigo Duterte as president last year, Japan, Australia, and the United States have repeatedly denounced China's militarization of the South China Sea and pushed to forge deeper ties with US allies the Philippines.
Under Marcos, relations between the Philippines and the United States have improved. Marcos has also become more outspoken about China's actions, notably the reported use of a military-grade laser on a ship assisting a naval food resupply mission.
It has also expressed concern about a sizable presence of suspected militia near Philippine-held features in the disputed Spratly islands. China says that the coast guard's operations are authorized and within its territorial seas.
In addition to counter-piracy drills, Balilo claimed the forthcoming maritime exercise may involve intercepting a ship transporting WMD.
