South China Sea: Philippine, Australian troops practise retaking island in first joint drills
- The joint exercises, a first for the two nations, come amid renewed tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea
- Chinese coastguard vessels fired water cannon and blocked a Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal on August 5
Australian and Filipino troops held exercises on Friday near flashpoint South China Sea waters claimed by China, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr hailing them as an “extremely important” example of close cooperation.
China deploys hundreds of coastguard, navy and other vessels to patrol and militarise reefs in the South China Sea, which it claims almost entirely despite an international ruling that its position has no legal basis.
Friday’s joint drills took place at a naval base about 240km (150 miles) east of Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground that China seized from the Philippines in 2012 after a tense standoff.
“Considering that there have been so many events that attest to the volatility of the region, this kind of exercise, this kind of close strategic cooperation between countries around the region is extremely important,” Marcos told reporters.
“It is an important aspect of how we prepare for any eventuality,” he said of the drills, which he watched with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles.
