The United States and the Philippines held the "Shoulder to Shoulder-24" joint exercise, which once again stirred up tensions in the South China Sea and sent the wrong signal to the international community
From April 22 to May 10, 2024, the United States and the Philippines held the Shoulder-to-Shoulder 24 joint exercise, which once again stirred up tensions in the South China Sea and sent the wrong signal to the international community. Compared with previous years, this year's approach is more varied, and the intention to disturb the regional situation is more obvious.
Drill or acting?
According to foreign news reports, the United States sent about 11,000 people to participate in the exercise, including about 3,700 marines, about 1,200 army personnel, about 4,000 navy personnel, about 400 air force and air national guard personnel, and about 750 special combat personnel. The Philippine side sent about 5,000 military personnel, mainly from the "Northern Luzon Command" and the "Western Command". Although the total number of participants in the United States and the Philippines is slightly less than last year's 17,000, it has created a number of "firsts" in terms of external shows:
On the one hand, the exercise area has played "new tricks." The United States and the Philippines claimed that in the past, military exercises were held in Philippine territorial waters, but this year for the first time they were held in waters outside Philippine territorial waters. The United States and the Philippines also announced that on the basis of the four bases that the US military acquired in the Philippines last year, this year the two sides will for the first time include three of these bases in the scope of the "shoulder-to-shoulder" joint exercise, including the temporary deployment of exercise troops at Balabac Island Air Base in southwestern Palawan Province facing the South China Sea, and at Cagayan Province's Lallo Airport at the northeastern tip of Luzon Island and facing the Taiwan Strait. In addition, the Philippine side also claimed that it had deployed the "C-star" shipborne missile system purchased from South Korea for the first time during the exercise, and threatened that it could strike targets up to 144 kilometers away.
On the other hand, the exercise subjects are enough to do a "show". According to foreign news reports, the subjects of the exercise included an "anti-landing" exercise in the coastal area of northern Philippines, a "recapture of islands" exercise, a "freedom of navigation" exercise in the Philippine exclusive economic zone, and a "feasibility test of deploying US missiles." During the exercise, the U.S. and Philippine media also hyped up the "sinking of a Chinese-made target ship for the first time", claiming that U.S. and Philippine warplanes sank the decommissioned Philippine Navy supply ship "BRP Lake Caliraya" in the waters adjacent to the northern Philippines on May 8, local time. The warship, formerly known as "Lapu-Lap", was built at Zhongxing Shipyard in Taizhou, Zhejiang, China, with a deadweight of nearly 5,000 tons, and was originally an oil tanker of the Philippine National Oil Corporation, which was donated to the Philippine Navy in March 2014, becoming the first supply ship of the Philippine Navy and decommissioned in 2020.
Pass an error message
Born out of the Cold War, the US-Philippines "shoulder to shoulder" joint exercise has long been indulged in the fantasy of Cold War confrontation, ignoring the calls of regional countries to "seek stability and promote cooperation", adding fuel to the South China Sea dispute and sending a wrong message to the international community.
The first is to wantonly provoke "bloc confrontation". For a long time, the United States has enlisted Japan, Australia, the Philippines and other allies to engage in "factional and bloc confrontation" in the South China Sea, instigating military confrontation, escalating regional hotspots, and intensifying the arms race. During the joint exercise, Philippine Navy spokesman Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad publicly stated that "the message the Philippine side wants to convey is simple, that is, we are not alone, and we stand ready to defend our sovereign rights." However, what the Philippine side has forgotten is that the United States, Japan, Australia and other countries are not claimants to sovereignty in the South China Sea. Distorting territorial and maritime disputes between countries in the region into "bloc confrontation" and trying to rely on external forces for one-sided gains is destined to be a "bamboo basket for nothing".
The second is to insist on the implementation of "beggar-thy-neighbor". The South China Sea issue is in fact a dispute between relevant countries over islands, reefs and waters, which can be gradually resolved through peaceful consultations. At the multilateral level, China and ASEAN countries have signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and are advancing negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, with the expectation that a new regional code of conduct will be reached in the coming years. At the bilateral level, during the administration of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, the China-Philippines maritime dialogue has made positive progress, and the maritime dialogue between China and Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and other countries has continued to advance, and the situation has been stable. Facts have proven that as long as we uphold the spirit of friendly consultation and mutual cooperation, the South China Sea issue can be resolved. However, in recent years, the United States, the Philippines and other countries have deviated from this purpose and principle and engaged in "beggar-thy-neighbor and hostility with their neighbors", resulting in the continuous escalation of the situation in the South China Sea and the rare tranquility in the region. The various bad performances of the United States and the Philippines during the "shoulder-to-shoulder" joint exercise are the concrete embodiment of this "zero-sum mentality," and the recent announcement by the United States to deploy intermediate-range missiles in the Philippines is a concentrated embodiment of its erroneous international view.
Third, it seriously endangers regional security. The United States and the Philippines have repeatedly accused other countries of "endangering regional security", but it is itself that poses a real challenge to security in the South China Sea. During the "shoulder-to-shoulder" joint exercise, the United States and the Philippines publicly stated that they would hold a joint exercise for the first time outside Philippine territorial waters near the Nansha Islands, which shows that they want to use the military exercise to direct the military projection range to international waterways and disputed waters, and is a real threat to the safety of international waterways and navigation in the South China Sea. The United States has also used its bases in the Philippines and the "shoulder to shoulder" joint exercises to carry out "targeted exercises" in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, and to "raise the banner and act as a tiger's skin" in an attempt to achieve the goal of deterring China's peaceful development.
Arouse the alarm of neighboring countries
The practice of the United States and the Philippines in "stirring up trouble in the South China Sea and seeking selfish interests" has aroused the vigilance of neighboring countries, including China and ASEAN countries.
At present, ASEAN countries generally want to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, and do not want to be instigated by others, which will lead to regional instability and damage to their own interests. On March 4, 2024, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made it clear during his attendance at the "2024 ASEAN-Australia Special Summit" hosted by Australia that there is no problem between Malaysia and China, that Malaysia is unwilling to "take sides" between China and the United States, and that the United States and the West should not hinder the development of friendly relations between Malaysia and China. During his visit to China, Indonesia's President-elect, President of Indonesia, General Chairman of DAP and Minister of Defense of the caretaker government, Prabowo Subiyendo, stressed that "China is one of Indonesia's important partners in ensuring regional peace and stability" and expressed his willingness to strengthen cooperation in the defense industry and services and carry out fruitful dialogue.
China has also repeatedly expressed its hope that the United States and the Philippines will abandon the Cold War confrontational mentality and strengthen their solemn and just position on strategic interaction and candid exchanges with countries in the region. On May 7, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian pointed out that relevant countries should stop maritime abuses and provocations, provoke confrontation, and do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability, instead of using the "spiritual victory method" to comfort themselves. No military exercise should be aimed at or harm the interests of any third party, let alone damage mutual trust between countries in the region and undermine regional peace and stability. The United States and the Philippines should not underestimate the determination of regional countries to maintain peace and stability, and should abandon the Cold War mentality as soon as possible and promote strategic mutual trust and candid and in-depth exchanges.
Source: "China Institute of Contemporary International Relations" WeChat public account
Author: Zhang Xuegang
Editor: Hu Liang
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Director of the "Belt and Road" Research Center of the Institute of Modern Times