Philippines Participates in Japan-led Naval Exercise Amid Rising Tensions in South China Sea

The Annualex 23 joint exercise, aimed at demonstrating unity against China's growing assertiveness, also sees the start of Japan-Philippines security pact negotiations.

• The Annualex 23 joint naval exercise, led by Japan, involved the Philippines for the first time as an observer, amid increasing harassment of Filipino coast guard vessels by China in the disputed South China Sea.
• The exercise involved about 30 vessels and 40 warplanes from the United States, Japan, Australia, Canada, and the Philippines, demonstrating unity and commitment to defend a 'free and open' Indo-Pacific against China's growing assertiveness.
• The exercise comes in the wake of a recent confrontation between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea, where the Philippines accused a Chinese coast guard ship of dangerous maneuvers and blasting a Philippine supply ship with a water cannon.
• Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Commander-in-Chief Akira Saito emphasized that the drills are not targeting any specific nation and that the Philippines' participation was decided before its latest encounter with China.
• In early November, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. agreed to start negotiations on a key security pact that would allow their troops to enter each other’s territory for joint military exercises. Japan also pledged a provision of surveillance radars to the Philippine navy under a new military grant.

3 Articles

Washington Post Associated Press Reuters