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Asia

Philippine coast guard holds drills in

disputed South China Sea

File photo of a Philippine coast guard ship sailing past a Chinese coast guard ship near Scarborough shoal in the
South China Sea in May 2019. (File photo: AFP/TED ALJIBE)

MANILA: The Philippine coast guard is conducting drills in the South China Sea
which an official said on Sunday (Apr 25) were part of efforts to secure "our
maritime jurisdiction" over the disputed waters.

The exercises near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island and China-controlled

Scarborough Shoal come amid heightened tensions over the resource-rich sea.

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The latest diplomatic wrangle between the two countries was triggered by the
detection last month of hundreds of Chinese vessels (/news/asia/philippines-
accuses-china-incursion-disputed-sea-whitsun-reef-14456556) in the Spratly
Islands.

Most of the boats have since dispersed around the contested archipelago.

China - which claims almost the entirety of the sea - has refused repeated demands
by the Philippines to call back the ships, which Manila says are maritime militia
vessels and Beijing says are fishing boats.

In response, the Philippines has deployed more patrol vessels, including coast guard
and navy ships, to intensify surveillance and prevent illegal fishing.

The coast guard drills began last week. Advertisement

 "We are supporting the whole-of-nation
approach in securing our maritime
jurisdiction," coast guard spokesman
Commodore Armando Balilo said.

The exercises involve training in

navigation, small boat operations,
maintenance and logistical operations.

They are being held near Thitu Island and

Scarborough Shoal, as well as the Batanes
islands in the north, and the southern and eastern parts of the country.

25 Apr 2021 03:33PM

(Updated: 25 Apr 2021 03:33PM) ► READ: Philippines' Duterte prepared to deploy navy over South China
Sea claim (/news/asia/philippines--duterte-prepared-to-deploy-navy-
(https://v1.addthis.com/live/redirect/?
over-south-china-sea-claim-14657836?
url=mailto%3A%3Fbody%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.channelnewsasia.com%252Fnews%252Fasia%252Fphilippines-
cid=h3_referral_inarticlelinks_24082018_cna)
south-
china-
Scarborough - one of the region's richest fishing grounds - has long been a
sea-
flashpoint between Manila and Beijing.
coast-
guard-
drills- China seized it from the Philippines in 2012 following a tense standoff.
boats-
The drills began as Philippine armed forces held joint exercises with US soldiers that
14691490%2523.YI82Jo_a2qY.mailto%26subject%3DPhilippine%2520coast%2520guard%2520holds%2520drills%2520in%2520disputed%
5e0028e53cd1fd98&rev=v8.28.8-
ended on Friday.
wp&per=undefined&pco=tbx-
300) Beijing has ignored a 2016 international tribunal decision that declared its historical
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claim over most of the South China Sea to be without basis.

But once-frosty relations between Manila and Beijing have warmed under President
Rodrigo Duterte, who set aside the ruling in exchange for promises of trade and
investment.

The Philippine foreign and defence secretaries, however, have been engaged in a war
of words with Beijing.

The foreign affairs department has been filing daily protests over the Chinese vessels
and, in a rare move, recently summoned Beijing's envoy (/news/asia/philippines-
south-china-sea-us-military-vessels-14613176) to express its "utmost
displeasure" over the issue.

Source:
AFP/dv

Tagged Topics
Philippines (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/topic/philippines)

China (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/topic/china)

South China Sea (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/topic/south-china-sea)

military (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/topic/military)

defence (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/topic/defence)
 (https://v1.addthis.com/live/redirect/?
url=mailto%3A%3Fbody%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.channelnewsasia.com%252Fnews%252F
south-
china-
sea-
coast-
guard-
drills-
boats-
14691490%2523.YI82JlXtYFY.mailto%26subject%3DPhilippine%2520coast%2520guard%2520holds%
5e0028e53cd1fd98&rev=v8.28.8-
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wp&per=undefined&pco=tbx-
300)
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