BEIJING – China on Jan 4 slammed what it called “provocative” moves by the United States and its ally, the Philippines, in the South China Sea, as both sides held drills in the disputed territorial waters.

Warships from China and the US conducted rival exercises in the sea this week amid heightened tensions involving the Philippines.

Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theatre Command on Jan 3 said a two-day deployment of its navy and air force, scheduled to end on Jan 4, was carrying out “routine patrols” in the sea.

It did not mention where exactly the patrols took place or give specific details of the goals of the exercises.

The patrols came as the US said an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson was conducting two days of drills with the Philippine Navy.

Beijing condemned those manoeuvres as “provocative military activities” aimed at “flaunting their military might”.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the exercises were “detrimental to management and control of the maritime situation and related disputes”.

“We urge relevant countries to stop their irresponsible actions and earnestly respect the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea,” he said.

Beijing, he pledged, would “continue to firmly safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea and has ignored an international tribunal ruling that its assertions have no legal basis.

It deploys boats to patrol the busy waterway and has built artificial islands that it has militarised to reinforce its claims.

And while China typically uses its coast guard to enforce its claims in the area, military exercises are not uncommon, with Beijing’s navy conducting “routine” drills in late November 2023.

Footage from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed what Beijing called a “live fire drill”, with aircraft flying over the seas and one jet firing a missile.

Projecting presence

This week’s drills follow a month of tense stand-offs between China and the Philippines at disputed reefs in the area, which saw a collision between vessels from the two countries and Chinese ships blasting water cannon at Philippine boats.

One expert told AFP that Beijing was seeking to turn the South China Sea “into a Chinese-controlled waterway and a strategic choke point for other countries”.

“The South China Sea is becoming... a key defensive zone for China,” said Assistant Professor Michael Raska of Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, who is a military expert.

Beijing is also using the area to test “reconnaissance and surveillance”, he said, deepening its ability to “project presence and influence in the sea”.

Mr Duan Dang, a Vietnam-based maritime analyst focusing on the South China Sea, told AFP: “While China routinely dispatches warships to shadow US aircraft carriers in the South China Sea and to monitor multilateral military activities in the region, the public announcement of such an exercise is very rare.”

‘Resolute measures’

The Philippines on Dec 26 said it was not provoking conflict in the South China Sea, responding to China’s accusation that Manila was encroaching on Beijing’s territory.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Manila had “reneged on its words, changed its policy, infringed on China’s sovereignty, and made provocations again and again and triggered complex situations”.

“China will take resolute measures against any violation of our sovereignty and provocation, and firmly safeguard our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Dec 29.

This week’s drills also follow the appointment of Mr Dong Jun – a former navy chief and deputy commander of the Southern Theatre Command – as Beijing’s defence minister.

Associate Professor Sheena Chestnut Greitens, an expert in Chinese politics, told AFP that Mr Dong’s background in “important areas of military tension” and as a naval official may have played a role in his promotion.

“He has operational experience and background in the challenges presented by Taiwan, the South China Sea and the East China Sea,” she said. AFP