MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of US soldiers will begin nearly two
weeks of war games in the Philippines on Monday as the two nations look
to strengthen their military alliance amid concerns over China’s rising
power.
The Balikatan (Shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises are an annual event
but this year are expected to attract a greater focus with some of the
drills set to be held close to sensitive South China Sea waters claimed
by the Chinese.
The Philippines insists the exercises, involving 4,500 US personnel
and 2,300 Filipino troops, should not be seen by China as a provocation.
“Our aim is not against any country, our aim is to protect maritime
security and to protect the interests of our country,” Major Emmanuel
Garcia, Philippine military spokesman for Balikatan, told Agence
France-Presse.
Nevertheless, Garcia confirmed US and Philippine ships will stage
drills in waters facing the South China Sea, while Filipino leaders have
repeatedly said that China is one of the country’s main “maritime
security” concerns.
China claims all of the South China Sea as a historic right, even
waters close to the coasts of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian
countries.
The competing claims to the strategically vital waters have long made
the area one of Asia’s potential flashpoints for military conflict.
The Philippines has complained over the past two years that China has
become increasingly aggressive in staking its claim to the waters,
accusing the Chinese of acts such as firing warning shots at Filipino
fishermen.
Tensions spiked again this month when Philippine and Chinese ships
became locked in a standoff at a tiny set of islets called Scarborough
Shoal in the South China Sea.
After nearly a week, both sides have refused to back down and are
still keeping civilian vessels at the shoal, 230 kilometers (140 miles)
west of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon, in an effort to assert
sovereignty.
Facing the perceived growing threat from China, Philippine President
Benigno Aquino III last year called for closer military ties with the
United States.
The United States was the colonial ruler of the Philippines in the
first half of the 20th Century and maintained military bases until the
early 1990s, but was forced to end its permanent presence amid anti-US
sentiment.
Aquino’s appeal last year was welcomed in the United States, which
has been seeking to rebuild its presence across the Asia Pacific, partly
to counter the growing political, economic and military might of China.
Aquino told AFP last month that, although there would be no return to
permanent US bases in the Philippines, he welcomed a greater American
military presence through more joint exercises such as Balikatan.
In this context, Balikatan will hold extra significance in terms of
sending a message to China, according to John Blaxland, a regional
security and political expert from the Australian National University.
“It’s a subtle message affirming for the Philippines that the US is
serious about playing in Asia and will lend assistance to those in
need,” Blaxland told AFP.
The Balikatan exercises, which run from Monday until April 27, are
scheduled to be held on Luzon as well as Palawan, a narrow island that
forms the country’s western-most landmass.
The Philippines and the United States have emphasised that Balikatan
is not focused solely on conflict, with troops also set to conduct
humanitarian and disaster-relief exercises.
Balikatan will be launched on Monday with opening ceremonies in Manila.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Karl Malakunas | Agence France-Presse / Inquirer.Net | April 14, 2012 | Article Link
