In addition to the United States and the Philippines, Australia and France also sent troops to participate in the exercise for the first time, which included anti-landing and coastal defense operations in the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait, and 14 observer states were on site to observe the exercise.
Regarding the exercise, the commander of the US military claimed that it was "aimed at defending the sovereign responsibility under the international order," while Colonel Logeco of the Philippine side bluntly said that the purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate the willingness of the US-Philippine alliance to defend its territory, but it was not ruled out that it would send a signal to the "adversary."
The U.S.-Philippines joint military exercise officially began
This is obviously an allusion to China, and although the United States and the Philippines do not directly associate this military exercise with China on the surface, the target meaning is quite obvious from the location and content of the exercise.
For the first time, the exercise went beyond the territorial waters of the Philippines, and in particular, it rehearsed the "island grab" component, which clearly reflected the current situation in the South China Sea. Recently, there has been a marked increase in friction and confrontation between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, and when the Philippine vessels ignored China's dissuasion and insisted on forcibly intruding into Ren'ai Jiao, the Chinese coast guard used water cannons to drive them away in accordance with the law, forcing the Philippine crew to raise a white flag and surrender.
However, after the incident, the Philippines reversed the blame, claiming that China's "dangerous operation" had injured the Philippine crew, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos also openly echoed the US side's statement, saying that if Filipino personnel were killed in the confrontation in the South China Sea, the Philippines could invoke the "US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty" to act.
The Chinese Coast Guard drove away the Philippine vessel in accordance with the law
On the eve of the US-Philippine joint military exercise, the Philippine Star reported that two "Chinese militia ships" were found 30 nautical miles from the shore of Palawan Province on the Philippine mainland. Scholars in the U.S. maritime field immediately jumped out to hype it, saying that the move might be a "demonstration" and that it was "a certain signal that China wants to send to the U.S.-Philippine military exercises."
In fact, this is not the first time that the Philippines has hyped up such topics, as a spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines hyped up the discovery of more than 200 "Chinese militia ships" near Oxbow Reef in the Spratly Islands last year. But in reality, there are no so-called "militia boats", just some Chinese fishermen temporarily sheltering from the typhoon due to sea conditions.
However, the Philippines often links such normal events with military issues, tries to confuse the public, and vainly tries to exert pressure on China through public opinion and diplomacy. For example, when China hosted the 19th annual meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Forum, the Philippines was absent from the forum despite receiving an invitation from the Chinese side.
China hosted the 19th annual meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Forum
This move not only lacks the demeanor of a major country, but also shows that the Philippines intends to disrupt the South China Sea and is unwilling to work with countries in the region to peacefully resolve maritime differences. On the issue of maritime friction between China and the Philippines, General Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed that China does not cause trouble, but it is also not afraid of it.
Admiral Zhang Youxia bluntly said that China insists on holding friendly consultations with the countries concerned to resolve maritime disputes, but in the face of deliberate infringement, China will defend its rights in accordance with the law, and in the face of unreasonable provocations, China will also take countermeasures on the basis of reason, and the Chinese armed forces will resolutely defend national sovereignty and interests.
The Philippines knows better than anyone else that the Philippines has seen a series of infringements and provocations against China in the South China Sea over the past period of time.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos
The Marcos administration has refused to recognize the "gentlemen's agreement" reached with China on the issue of controlling Ren'ai Jiao during the previous administration, and has sent ships to provoke near Ren'ai Jiao on several occasions in a vain attempt to transport illegal building materials to Philippine warships illegally "beached" there, in an attempt to permanently occupy China's islands and reefs.
Sovereignty and territory are related to China's core interests, and we have no room for concessions on this issue, and the Philippines has acted recklessly and recklessly relying on the backing of the United States to force China to make concessions on this issue, completely underestimating the determination of the Chinese military to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Whether it is the opening of military bases by the Philippines to the United States or the deployment of intermediate-range missiles by the United States in the Philippines, this kind of intensified military deployment will not frighten China, but will only make the international community see more clearly the true nature of the Philippines in luring the wolf into the house and the United States' attempt to deliberately destabilize the regional situation.
The United States deploys intermediate-range missiles in the Philippines
The purpose of China's naval forum is to convey that the Chinese Navy is willing to deepen exchanges and cooperation with the navies of other countries, has always been committed to ensuring the development of maritime undertakings, and is willing to contribute its own peaceful strength to the prosperity and stability of the regional situation.
The world is not at peace today, and the more this happens, the more we need a platform where all parties can bridge their differences through dialogue and consultation and work together to create peace and tranquility.