While in Washington Joe Biden met his Filipino counterpart, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.and the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishidaimportant events were taking place in the waters of the Far East joint naval exercises among United States and its two main local partners: South Korea And Japan. One took part in the maneuvers, which had been planned for months but fell at a time of high tension between the two Koreas US nuclear-powered aircraft carrierin a clear message addressed to North Korea Kim Jong Un. Who, for his part, increased the pressure by implying that his army is ready to mobilize in the event of provocation. Sparks also occurred in two other very hot epicentres: off the coast of Philippines and near the Senkaku Islands, controlled by Japan but claimed by Beijing. In both cases, the boats of the Chinese Coast Guard have created quite a bit of apprehension in Manila and Tokyo.
Military exercises between the USA, Korea and Japan
In theory, the exercises between the US, South Korea and Japan were presented as measures aimed at improving preparedness against the ballistic threats of the North Korea. The reality is that the maneuvers represent a show of force to counter Kim’s latest statements. “Participating forces conducted anti-submarine warfare exercises to improve their response to North Korean underwater threats, including those from submarines and submarine-launched ballistic missiles“, however, we read in a note from the South Korean Navy.
The two-day exercise began on April 12 in international waters between South Korea and Japan, based on a multi-year plan established after the trilateral summit of the leaders of the three countries held last year in the United States. Speaking of Kim, the North’s leader urged the North Korean military to be “more ready than ever to war“. North Korea, among other things, claimed in early April the first launch of a new intermediate-range ballistic missiles with a hypersonic warhead.
China’s moves
During the aforementioned meeting with Marcos and Kishida, Biden made it clear that the United States will defend the Philippines in the event of a possible attack by China. “Any attack on Philippine aircraft, ships or military forces in the South China Sea” would trigger the application of “mutual defense treaty“, declared the US president. For his part, the leader of the Philippines invited the Chinese authorities to engage in dialogue to prevent incidents such as the ramming of ships and the use of water cannons in the disputed South China Sea. Even in the last few hours the Chinese Coast Guard boats have made Manila worried.
China’s own Coast Guard also conducted a patrolling off the Senkaku Islands, administered by Japan in the East China Sea. Beijing made it known that the patrol intended to “protect rights” of the Chinese nation and was conducted in accordance with the law.
Controlled by the Japanese municipality of Ishigaki and claimed by China under the name Diaoyu, the Senkaku Islands are at the center of a long-standing dispute between the two countries. In 2022 alone, the Ministry of Defense of html” data-ga4-click-event-target=”internal”>Tokyo has attributed 15 sorties near the islands to the Chinese Navy, which for its part claims to conduct patrols in full compliance with the right.
