Washington, April 11 (FN Bureau) The United States, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines will conduct more joint maritime patrols in the South China Sea amid rising tensions between Manila and Beijing over several disputed islands, a senior US official said during a press briefing.“Over this past weekend, the United States, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia held a joint naval patrol in the Philippines; you can expect to see more of that in the month ahead,” the official said on Wednesday. During the first-ever US-Japan-Philippines trilateral summit later in the day, the United States will announce upcoming Coast Guard patrols in the coming year in the Indo-Pacific, building upon the first Coast Guard patrol that was held in 2023, the official added.
On Sunday, the four countries conducted their first maritime patrol in the South China Sea in a show of force following several recent incidents between Chinese and Philippine ships. In March, the Philippine armed forces said the China Coast Guard used water cannons against a Philippine supply vessel in the South China Sea. Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian called on Manila to stop violations and provocations near the Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Ren’ai Jiao. Wu said the incident was caused exclusively by Philippine provocation, while China’s actions were rational, legal, and professional. The territorial affiliation of some islands and reefs in the South China Sea, including the Philippine-controlled Second Thomas Shoal, has been the subject of disputes between China, the Philippines, and several other Asia-Pacific countries.