South China Sea: Beijing may get ‘up close’ as US-Philippine Balikatan drills send ‘deterrent signal’ on contested claims

Annual exercises starting on Monday set to venture into Manila’s EEZ for the first time, in areas claimed also by Beijing

Location is ‘deterrent signal’ to Beijing as tensions spike with Manila, analyst says, while another sees Washington readying for hot conflict

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A Philippine Navy frigate leads three other participating ships during the first “multilateral maritime cooperative activity” with the US, Australia and Japan in the South China Sea. Photo: AFP/Armed Forces of the Philippines

Published: 9:08pm, 18 Apr 2024Updated: 6:31pm, 19 Apr 2024

Corrected [6:27pm, 19 Apr, 2024]

[6:27pm, 19 Apr, 2024]
An earlier version of this story did not credit The Washington Post.

China will remain on high alert and may even send forces for “up-close reconnaissance”, analysts said, with US-Philippine military drills starting next week expected to enter disputed South China Sea waters in a clear signal to Beijing.

The 39th annual Balikatan or “shoulder to shoulder” drills, running from Monday until May 10, will involve naval exercises outside the Philippines’ territorial seas, in areas close to Taiwan and South China Sea waters also claimed by Beijing. Observers interpret this as a show of US support for treaty ally the Philippines amid its recent string of maritime confrontations with China.

The drills will extend beyond the 12 nautical mile (22.2km) territorial waters of the Philippines, into what it regards as its exclusive economic zone, lying another 200 nautical miles further afield. Parts of the EEZ overlap with waters claimed by Beijing under its “nine-dash line”.

Chen Xiangmiao, an associate research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said the location of the exercise sent a clear signal to Beijing.

“The choice of location in disputed waters [claimed both by the Philippines and China] shows that the US-Philippine exercises are becoming more targeted at China,” Chen said.

“China and the Philippines are competing over the control of these disputed sea areas, the US is showing support to the Philippines and sending a deterrent signal to China through the drills,” he added.

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