US, Vietnam and Philippines accuse Beijing of ‘unlawful maritime claims’ with five-day drill in South China Sea

Exercises near the Paracel Islands break pledge not to militarise contested maritime region, says US Department of Defence

Vietnam’s foreign ministry says ‘violation of sovereignty’ may harm China’s relationship with Asean

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The Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) conducts routine operations near the Chinese vessel Hai Yang Di Zhi 4 Hao on July 1. Photo: US Navy

Published: 12:55pm, 3 Jul 2020Updated: 10:21pm, 3 Jul 2020

The United States, Vietnam and the Philippines have lashed out at China, accusing it of coercion as Beijing launches a military drill in a disputed part of the South China Sea.

In a statement, the US Department of Defence said it was concerned about the military exercises carried out around the Paracel Islands from July 1 to 5.

China scheduled five days of drills from Wednesday near the Paracels. Vietnam has overlapping claims with China over the Paracels. China calls them the Xisha Islands, and Vietnam refers to them as the Hoang Sa Islands.

“The military exercises are the latest in a long string of PRC [People’s Republic of China] actions to assert unlawful maritime claims and disadvantage its Southeast Asian neighbours in the South China Sea,” the US defence department statement said.

“The PRC’s actions stand in contrast to its pledge to not militarise the South China Sea and the United States’ vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, in which all nations, large and small, are secure in their sovereignty, free from coercion, and able to pursue economic growth consistent with accepted international rules and norms.”

The US will continue monitor the situation and call on China to “reduce its militarisation and coercion of its neighbours in the South China Sea”.