US-Philippines drill fuels tension

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Washington and Manila on Monday kicked off their second joint military drill of the year, and analysts warned that the move will bring more uncertainty to regional ties in the wake of the Huangyan Island incident.

The Philippines-US naval training exercises, scheduled from Monday to July 10 near Mindanao Sea, began with US vessels, including the USS Vandegrift, arriving at Makar Port in General Santos City in the southern Philippines on Sunday.

The drill involves 450 members of the Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard, and 500 staff members of the US Navy and Coast Guard.

Dave Welch, commodore of the USS Vandegrift, said the training will include in-port exercises and expertise exchanges, Xinhua reported.

Although the Philippines' armed forces said the drill is an annual routine and "not aimed at any third party", analysts said the exercise benefits the country and further helps the US shift strategic emphasis back to the Asia-Pacific region.

"The drill shows both Washington and Manila's will to beef up their alliance since the 1950s, and Manila has received support from Washington in various areas, especially this year," said Yang Baoyun, a professor of Southeast Asian studies at Peking University.

The US has reiterated that it does not take a position on the rival territorial claims of countries in the South China Sea, but Manila still has expressed its hope that Washington could back its claim to China's Huangyan Island, Yang said.

On April 10, 12 Chinese fishing boats were harassed by a Philippine Navy gunboat while taking refuge from harsh weather in a lagoon near China's Huangyan Island. Two Chinese Marine Surveillance ships in the area later came to rescue the Chinese fishermen from being detained by Philippine naval forces.

Later, Beijing protested Manila's infringement on China's sovereignty, and sent official ships to the spot for a monitoring mission. The drill comes after Manila's announcement on Friday that it had sent observers to the US-led Rim of the Pacific Exercises, the largest-ever naval drill in the region, involving 22 countries.

Beijing on Monday also slammed Manila's recent remarks concerning the Huangyan Island, as reports said the Philippines military vowed to escort Philippine vessels and fishermen back to the island after the Philippine fishing ban ends. "We expect the Philippines to contribute more to facilitate both the ease of the island situation as well as the bilateral friendly cooperative relations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said at a daily news conference.

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.