Philippines, US, Japan conduct fresh joint sail in South China Sea

MANILA, Philippines — Armed forces from the Philippines, United States and Japan conducted another joint sail in the South China Sea on Friday, December 6, just two days after Beijing was accused of harassing Philippine vessels in the tense waterways. 

The joint sail, formally known as the Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity, involved the Philippine Navy's BRP Andres Bonifacio and a C-90 aircraft, a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, and the Japanese destroyer JS Samidare, according to a statement by the US Indo-Pacific Command on Friday.

"This builds upon previous MCAs and our continuing operations together, which strengthen the interoperability of our defense/armed forces doctrines, tactics, techniques, and procedures," the statement read.

Military officials said the maritime activity was conducted "in a manner that is consistent with international law and with due regard to the safety of navigation and the rights and interests of other States." 

"The U.S., along with our allies and partners, uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect to the maritime rights under international law," the statement read.

The three countries' joint sail follows simultaneous incidents where Chinese Coast Guard vessels reportedly rammed Philippine fisheries vessels and used water cannons against them near Scarborough Shoal and Escoda Shoal. 

Both features, which China claims to have sovereignty over in defiance of a 2016 ruling, are well within the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

In what Philippine officials called an "unprecedented escalation," a Chinese military warship also shadowed a Philippine Coast Guard flagship vessel at close range.

Japan — which the Philippines shares a strategic partnership with — granted Manila on Thursday a military funding package worth 1.6 billion yen ($10.6 million) aimed at shoring up its naval capabilities.

Both the US and Japan have also condemned China's recent actions toward Philippine vessels at the two shoals, with the US saying that Beijing's behavior was "unlawful."

The three countries are set to hold their first trilateral maritime talks this month.