US, Australia, And Japan Conduct Joint Drills In the South China Sea

Warships from the U.S., Japan, and Australia have reportedly conducted joint drills in defiance of Beijing in the waters of the South China Sea. Beijing claims its sovereignty over the strategic waterway. The guided-missile destroyer John Finn, as well as the combat ship Gabrielle Giffords, conducted operations alongside naval vessels from Australia and Japan on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the U.S. 7th Fleet, which is in charge of the majority of U.S. naval activities in the area.

The drills’ proximity to islands and shoals that Beijing claims are unknown; the Chinese government has constructed military bases on at least seven islands by accumulating sand and concrete on coral atolls. Beijing vehemently opposes foreign naval activity in the region, claiming historical documents demonstrate China’s ownership. Every year, nearly $5 trillion in international commerce passes via the South China Sea, which holds underwater mineral and fish stocks.

The U.S. takes no formal stand regarding sovereignty in the area but rejects China’s claims, based on a ruling made in 2016 by a UN-backed court based in The Hague. There was no reaction from the Chinese Defense Ministry to those exercises. John Finn’s commanding officer, Cmdr, said this multinational sail enhances alliances with the United States, Japan, and Australia. Earvin Taylor, in a statement released by the 7th Fleet. It says that they support openness, the rule of law, maritime freedom, and all other principles that underscore prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

These deployments are essential for enhancing cooperation and the capacity to operate together, per Australia’s Commodore Jonathan Ley, who delivered the announcement. China, Australia, the United States, and Japan formed the Quad, a strategic alliance that includes India.

The Quad has accused China on multiple occasions of aggressively pursuing maritime territorial claims and displaying its military might in the South China Sea. Beijing further maintains that its military is defensive and safeguards sovereign rights, and it refers to the Quad as an attempt to contain economic growth and influence.

The navies of the four nations hold drills regularly as part of an initiative to counter China’s assertiveness in the Indian and Pacific oceans and waters surrounding Taiwan successfully. Japan and China claim ownership of an uninhabited group of islands in the East China Sea controlled by Tokyo, with China dispatching vessels and planes routinely to that area.

China has applied similar tactics on a self-governing island republic, Taiwan, comprising 23 million that it claims to be its territory, to be acquired by force if the need arises. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry on Thursday said that it found four ships from China in the zone and that it had upgraded security much ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday starting from the weekend.

Reference: U.S. Navy

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Source: Maritime Shipping News