The Philippines’ patrol ship BRP Andres Bonifacio leads the destroyer USS Ralph Johnson, the Japanese ship JS Kirisame and the Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal in the Philippine Sea during a two-day exercise June 16, 2024. (U.S. Pacific Fleet)
Warships from the U.S., Philippines, Japan and Canada held two days of drills this week in the contested South China Sea to reaffirm “the four nations’ commitment to bolstering regional security and stability,” according to official statements Monday.
The short exercise coincided with a collision between a Chinese coast guard vessel and a Philippine supply ship near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
The “maritime cooperative activity” inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone included maneuvers to test the navies’ ability to work together, according to the Pacific Fleet statement on its official website Monday.
“Cooperation like this represents the centerpiece of our approach to a secure and prosperous region where aircraft and ships of all nations may fly, sail, and operate anywhere international law allows,” the statement reads.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in a news release said the exercise took place in the South China Sea.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson, Canadian frigate HMCS Montreal, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JS Kirisame and the Philippines’ patrol ship BRP Andres Bonifacio joined the exercise, according to the Pacific Fleet.
Ralph Johnson is assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15, the Navy’s largest destroyer squadron and part of the 7th Fleet, which operates from Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan.
China’s coast guard on Monday reported a Philippine supply ship that day entered waters near the Second Thomas Shoal, a shallow reef in the Spratlys claimed by both countries, according to the official China Military website. The Philippines maintains an outpost on the shoal aboard a grounded World War II hulk.
The two nations’ coast guards the past year have tangled over the shoal and efforts to resupply the outpost, with the Chinese at times employing water cannons to intimidate Filipino resupply vessels.
In a post Monday on X, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson condemned China’s “aggressive, dangerous maneuvers” near Second Thomas Shoal, “which caused bodily injury, damaged Philippine vessels, and hindered lawful maritime operations to supply food, water, and essential supplies” to its personnel.
“We stand by our allies in support of a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific,” Carlson said in the post.
A spokesman for China’s coast guard said the Philippines supply ship and two inflatable boats “illegally” entered the area to deliver supplies to its “illegally ‘grounded’” ship.
“What’s worse, the Philippine supply ship deliberately and dangerously approached and collided with normally sailing Chinese vessels,” said Gan Yu, a spokesman for China’s coast guard, according to China Military.
The Philippines claims the shoal as within its exclusive economic zone and cites a 2016 international arbitration ruling invalidating China’s expansive South China Sea claims based on historical grounds.
