The US and the Philippines are getting ready to have Balikatan military exercises beyond Philippine territorial waters in the coming week.
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The maneuvers are set to occur amid increased tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea. It's noted that for the first time in the history of the annual exercises that began in 1991, the Philippines and the United States will conduct joint naval exercises outside Philippine waters, in areas of the open sea claimed by China.
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The three-week exercise will involve 16,000 troops in four main activities, focusing on countering sea and air attacks.
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Beijing has been in dispute with several countries for many years over the ownership of individual islands in the South China Sea, which contain significant oil and gas reserves. First and foremost, we are referring to the Xisha archipelago (Paracel Islands), the islands of Nansha and Huangyan (Scarborough). The territory is claimed by Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
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The Chinese Coast Guard has recently started using water cannons more frequently against Philippine vessels in the area of the Ayungin Shoal and Scarborough Reef in the South China Sea. There are also ship collisions. On March 5, the Philippine Coast Guard reported that its ship was damaged after colliding with a Chinese coast guard ship in the South China Sea near a disputed reef, injuring four people. The Chinese side blamed the incident on the Philippines, alleging that the Philippine ship intentionally crashed into the Chinese ship in an unprofessional and dangerous manner.
