Amidst China's aggression, Philippines warships hold sea exercises with Japan, US

Manila (Philippines), August 4 : Amidst Chinese bullying of its rivals in the strategic South China Sea and aiming to counter Beijing's continuing violations of international treaty obligations, countries in the region are galvanising their defences.
Two warships from the Philippines and Japan each, for the first time ever, conducted a joint exercise in the contested waters.
This exercise followed a bilateral defence treaty, termed the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), signed between Manila and Tokyo to facilitate joint exercises for closer security cooperation, amid China's growing assertion in the regional resource-rich waters.
The Philippine Navy's Jose Rizal frigate on August 2 sailed alongside Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force's Sazanami destroyer and participated in tactical maneuvering, communication and photographic exercises in areas of the South China Sea that the Philippines claims jurisdiction over, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a statement.
"This activity was part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen regional and international cooperation towards realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific," the Armed Forces of the Philippines said.
The Philippines Army stated that duing the joint sailing exercise two vessels -a Jiangdao-class corvette and a Jingkai class frigate- belonging to China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)- were observed tailing the formation.
The joint sailing activity formed part of recent similar activities undertaken by the Philippine Navy with the navies of allies like the US, Australia and France that aim to project the commitment of these countries to freedom of navigation and rule of law in the face of China's growing aggressiveness in staking claims in the South China Sea.
Recently, the Filipino navy patrol ship BRP Ramon Alcaraz and the US Navy's littoral combat ship USS Mobile conducted a similar joint sailing exercise in South China Sea waters close to the Philippines.
Both the Philippines and Japan are long-time allies of the US, which has been bolstering ties in the region to counter Chinese aggression.
China increased its provocations against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea which has led to the Philippines granting the US military access to more bases in the country.
Meanwhile, a Vietnamese Coast Guard vessel is on its way to the Philippines for a joint training exercise, in a first such exercise between the two countries as per a report in Vietnamese news agency VNA.
The Vietnamese vessel Vessel CSB 8002 will engage in joint training exercises focusing on search and rescue operations and maritime safety together with the Philippines Coast Guard.
Vietnam and Phillipines along with other countries in the regions including Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia have made territorial claims in the contested waters of the South China Sea. China claims nearly all of South China sea including the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands as its own.
Last week on the sidelines of the ASEAN Meeting in Laos, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns over Beijing's "destabilising actions" in the South China Sea during his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi
According to reports, Wang said the US is stoking tensions on the issue and warned ASEAN countries against allowing the US to get involved.