Philippines cautious on joint drills with China after Beijing's South China Sea aggression
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The Chinese side has reportedly proposed a joint military drill with the Philippines, amid heightened tensions over maritime dispute.
Amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea, Beijing has floated a daring idea of a joint military drill with the Philippines, a country with which it has a longstanding maritime dispute.
The Philippine media reported the Chinese offer on Thursday, quoting Manila’s military chief.
State-run PTV reported that the offer was presented by China’s envoy to Manila to Philippines Armed Forces Chief Romeo Brawner.
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Brawner was quoted by local media as saying, “They (the Chinese) said they submitted some white papers, we have to study."
"We try to establish relations with armies, with armed forces around the world. This is one way for us to prevent war," Brawner said.
Offer made during ‘informal talks’
Military spokesperson Medel Aguilar later said that he was not aware of the white papers, adding that what Brawner said was based on the “informal” talks that he had with the Chinese envoy.
China’s offer comes at a time when Manila has been increasingly accusing Chinese forces of displaying aggression in the South China Sea.
China shares maritime disputes with several nations in the South China Sea, including the Philippines, while showing no regard for a 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling which declared China’s claims in the region totally baseless.
While Brawner failed to confirm whether or not a go-ahead would be given to the Chinese proposal, he made it clear that no such exercise would take place in the South China Sea.
Manila asserting sovereignty in the South China Sea
The development comes just months after it was reported in May that the Philippine coast guard was deploying five navigational buoys inside its 200-mile (322 km) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea to assert the country’s sovereignty, much to China’s chagrin.
Watch: Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos meets US President Biden
Patag Island, Balagtas Reef, Kota Island, Panata Island, and Juan Felipe Reef were the five areas where the buoys were placed.
The Philippines has of late tried to fortify its relations with the US in the wake of the increasing Chinese aggression.
For instance, in early May, the Philippines and the US issued a joint statement calling on China to exercise restraint in the Taiwan Strait.
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