Drills between US and Asean nations kick off, will extend into South China Sea
- The first Asean-US Maritime Exercise between the regional bloc and Washington lasts for five days
- The drills coincide with stepped-up US engagement in the region and tensions between Beijing and Southeast Asian nations
Co-led by the US and Royal Thai navies, the exercises will stretch into “international waters in Southeast Asia, including the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea” before concluding in Singapore, according to a statement from the US embassy in Bangkok.
All 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will take part in the exercises which include the boarding of target vessels to simulate search and seizure.
They are unfolding as a Chinese survey ship remains in waters claimed by Vietnam, prompting the Pentagon last week to accuse Beijing of efforts to “violate the rules-based international order throughout the Indo-Pacific”.
Should China be worried about the US-Asean sea drill?
China claims the majority of the South China Sea, often invoking its so-called nine-dash line as a supposed historic justification to the waters, which are a key global shipping route.
On a trip to Thailand last month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Southeast Asian nations to push back against Chinese “coercion” in the sea.
“Now if China were to have naval exercises off New York,” he said to applause, “then I think the New Yorkers might not feel so comfortable.”
At the opening ceremony on Monday, US naval officer Rear Admiral Kenneth Whitesell said the multilateral exercise demonstrates America’s commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, which Washington has been promoting to counter China’s increasing influence in Asia, including Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.
“We are a robust constellation of allies and partners working collectively towards continued security and stability of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Whitesell. “There is no better signal of our desire to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific than the robust diversity of US naval operations in this region.”
The US has accused China of bullying behaviour and recently sailed an aircraft carrier through the disputed waters, one in a series of shows of military might that it calls freedom of navigation operations.
“We are in the Indo-Pacific to stay,” said Whitesell. “My promise to you is that we will stand shoulder to shoulder with all nations who share a mutual respect for and adherence to international law, as well as a vision of free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Additional reporting by Associated Press