China Criticises Philippines Over US and Japan Maritime Exercises

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has called on the Philippines to cease what it describes as provocative actions that could heighten tensions in the South China Sea. This statement comes in the wake of joint maritime exercises conducted by the Philippines, the United States, and Japan in the contested waters, referred to as the West Philippine Sea by the Philippines.

According to a spokesperson for the PLA's Southern Theater Command, a bomber formation was deployed on Friday for routine patrols in the South China Sea. This military activity coincided with the trilateral naval drills involving significant assets from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), US Indo-Pacific Command, and the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force.

The recent exercises, known as the 13th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA), marked the eighth such drill this year. They took place over the weekend and involved the participation of two missile-capable frigates from the Philippines, the BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) and BRP Antonio Luna (FF151), as well as an AW159 helicopter. The United States contributed the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, led by the USS Nimitz (CVN 68), while Japan provided the destroyer JS Akebono (DD-108) and an SH-60K Seahawk helicopter. The Philippine Coast Guard also took part, deploying the BRP Melchora Aquino and BRP Cape San Agustin to support the mission.

These naval drills follow a significant summit in April between the leaders of the Philippines, the United States, and Japan, where they committed to enhancing maritime cooperation, increasing joint patrols, and expanding defence coordination in the region. Last month, the Philippines and Japan conducted their first joint military training exercise since the signing of the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), which was established to facilitate training between the forces of both nations.

The RAA, signed in July 2024, came into effect in September 2025, allowing Japanese and Philippine military forces to conduct joint exercises on each other's territory.

In a related development, Japan's Defence Ministry reported on Wednesday that three Chinese naval vessels, including a destroyer, had traversed waters south of Kagoshima on Kyushu island before entering the Pacific Ocean through the Osumi Strait. This movement of Chinese ships follows remarks made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding Taiwan, which elicited strong reactions from Beijing. During a parliamentary session last Friday, she indicated that any military action in the Taiwan Strait could pose a survival threat to Japan.