US, Japan, India to hold naval drills near South China Sea

Asia-Pacific, News, US March 3, 2016 , by IRIA No Comments

US, India and Japan will hold naval exercises in waters off the northern Philippines near the South China Sea this year, the U.S. military said

The U.S., Japan and India will conduct joint naval exercises in the northern waters of the Philippine Sea near the South China Sea this year, the U.S. military said on Wednesday. But the dates for the exercises haven’t been disclosed yet.

The maneuvers are part of an annual event between the U.S. and Indian navies that, since 2014, has expanded to include Japan, signaling closer cooperation between the three countries that share concern about China’s military ambitions.

Admiral Harry B. Harris, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, said the naval exercise will be held in the northern Philippine Sea and that Japan will take part. Freedom of the seas was a fundamental right of all nations, he told a security conference in India.

In recent statements, U.S. officials have prodded India to join its security operations, including patrols, that New Delhi has so far been reluctant to undertake. Adm. Harris said that, “on the security front, we need India’s leadership in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.”

In a veiled reference to efforts aimed at countering China’s activities, Adm. Harris proposed a four-way security dialogue including India, Japan, Australia and the U.S. to “amplify the message that we are united behind the international rules-based order,” adding, “No nation should perceive freedom of navigation operations as a threat.”

Harris said the United States wished to expand the naval exercises it held with India each year into joint operations across the Asia-Pacific, which could draw India into the row in the South China Sea.

China urges U.S. not to complicate South China Sea issue

When asked about the drills, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said: “We hope the cooperation of relevant countries will benefit regional peace and security, and not harm the interests of third parties”.

China urged the United States not to hype up or deliberately confuse the South China Sea issue. Spokesperson Hong Lei remarked responding to U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s speech stating that China must not pursue militarization in the South China Sea, and he warned China against “aggressive” actions in the region.

China’s deployment of limited and necessary national defense facilities in its own territory is far from new, Hong said, adding that China’s exercise of self-preservation and defense is a right granted by international law to sovereign states.

“What the United States has done has intensified tensions and is most likely to cause militarization in the South China Sea,” Hong said referring to increased military presence of US in the South China Sea.

He reiterated that China is firm in its determination and resolve to maintain its territorial sovereignty and maritime interests.

Tensions in the South China Sea have risen in recent years, with the United States and others protesting against Beijing’s land reclamations in the Spratly islands, along with the recent deployment of surface-to-air missiles and fighter jets in the Paracel Islands.

Along with China and the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on the waters, through which about US$5 trillion in trade is shipped every year.