Commentary: Philippine-US combat drills risk stirring up trouble at South China Sea

US soldiers participate in the live fire exercise during the annual joint military exercises between US and Philippine troops called "Balikatan" or shoulder-to-shoulder, at Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Philippines , May 6, 2024. The combat drill is part of the weekslong Exercise Balikatan that has brought together naval, air and ground forces of the Philippines and the United States , with Australia and France also joining some manoeuvres.

Also for the first time, the US deployed an advanced mobile launcher for medium-range ballistic and cruise missiles of a type that had been banned under the now-defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. In addition, the Philippine navy is showing off its newest acquisition, a South Korean-built missile frigate.

The Philippines-US alignment is more robust than ever. After a brief interval during the 2016 to 2022 presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, US warships and military aircraft once again operate out of bases in the Philippines. Reports circulated three months later that Philippine marines planned to construct permanent outposts in the vicinity of the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal. And a Philippine coast guard ship, with the commander of the country’s armed forces aboard, approached Scarborough Shoal in November, before being forced to retreat by Chinese maritime militia vessels.

Further acts that could be seen as provocative in Beijing followed, including the stationing of a Philippine navy corvette at nearby Palawan Island and a joint flyover by Philippine warplanes and a US Air Force B-52 heavy bomber.It is clear that the deepening of Philippines-US ties has given Manila the confidence to undertake a variety of combative acts toward China. The question is, to what ends?

In early March 2024, two Chinese research ships moved into Benham Rise, a resource-rich shelf situated on the eastern coast of the Philippines, outside the South China Sea.

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