USA, Philippines ‘joint patrols’ in South China Sea

MANILA / AP

In a military buildup certain to inflame tensions with China, the United States said on Thursday it will be conducting joint South China Sea patrols — and eventually air patrols — with the Philippines, while dispatching US troops and combat aircraft there on more frequent rotations.
The announcement by Defense Secretary Ash Carter was the first time the US revealed that its ships had conducted patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea, a somewhat rare move not done with many other partners in the region.
While Carter insisted the US was “trying to tamp down tensions here” and not provoke anyone, Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin — standing beside him at a news conference in Manila — said he expects that US forces, “with their presence here, will deter uncalled-for actions by the Chinese.”
While the military boost doesn’t include permanent basing for US troops, any increased US military presence and activities in the region is viewed as a threat by Beijing and will likely trigger an angry response.
During the news conference, Carter said the United States will be keeping nearly 300 troops, including Air Force commandos armed with combat aircraft and helicopters, in the Philippines through the end of the month.
The US will also increase troop rotations to strengthen training and support increased military operations in the region.
Speaking in the guest house of the presidential complex, Carter said the joint patrols will improve the Philippine’s navy and “contribute to the safety and security of the region’s waters.”
The increase in military support comes just days after a Philippine diplomat asked that the US help convince China not to build in the nearby Scarborough Shoal, which is viewed as important to Filipino fishermen.
Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia Jr. said the Philippines is not capable of stopping China from constructing there. China has built man-made islands in other contested spots in the South China Sea.
CharlitoManiago, the leader of a northwestern Philippine village where many fishermen lost access to the disputed Scarborough Shoal after China seized it in 2012, said the joint will spark hope that they can sail freely again to the rich fishing ground.
“This will boost the confidence of our fishermen because they think the US has the capability to defend them,” Maniago told The Associated Press by telephone from the coastal village of Cato in Pangasinan province. “The presence of America will make China think twice.”
Maniago, however, expressed concern that if China takes a more hardline position because of Washington’s increasing involvement in the disputed waters “a dangerous situation may happen and our fishermen may all the more lose the chance to fish in those waters.”
According to the Pentagon, the US forces that will remain here are already in the Philippines participating in the Balikatan or shoulder-to-shoulder combat exercises which will end Friday.