Philippines, Japan militaries hold first joint exercises in South China Sea

The Philippines and Japan held their first joint military exercises in the South China Sea on Friday, the Philippine armed forces said, in the latest collaboration between countries that have pushed back against China's regional assertiveness.

The drills, which took place in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, followed similar exercises between Manila and Washington on Wednesday.

“This activity was part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen regional and international co-operation towards realising a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said. The Philippines and Japan, both US allies, last month signed a landmark military pact allowing deployment of forces on each other's soil.

China claims as its territory much of the South China Sea, a conduit for most of northeast Asia's trade with the rest of the world in which Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

Japan, which announced last year its biggest military build-up since World War 2 in a step away from post-war pacifism, does not have any claims to the busy waterway.

It has a separate maritime dispute with China in the East China Sea, where the neighbours have repeatedly faced off.

The latest exercise, which included two vessels from each side, included a communications exercise, tactical manoeuvring and a photographic exercise, the AFP said.

Reuters