BEIJING: On Sunday, the Philippine Corvette 36, without approval from the Chinese government, illegally intruded into the territorial waters of China’s Huangyan Dao. The navy of the PLA Southern Theater Command organized forces to track, monitor, warn, and expel it in accordance with the law, Senior Captain Zhao Zhiwei, a spokesperson for the navy of the PLA Southern Theater Command, said on Sunday evening.
According to Philippine media, the annual US-Philippines “Balikatan” joint exercise in the Philippines is set to kick off on Monday, and the US military will deploy its anti-ship missile system, Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), in the Luzon Strait of northern Philippines as part of the drills – marking its first-ever deployment in the country. A Chinese military affairs expert told the Global Times on Sunday that the Philippines seeks to leverage external forces to advance its illegal territorial expansion in the South China Sea. Such maneuvers, the expert warned, will not only fail to achieve their objectives but also incur significant consequences.
The annual US-Philippine war games will be held from April 21 to May 9 in strategic locations in the Philippines, including in areas and provinces facing the South China Sea, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. This year’s Balikatan, which is described as a full-battle test by Philippine and US military officials, will involve 5,000 Filipino troops and 9,000 American personnel, the report claimed.
Meanwhile, Australia and Japan will be active observers during the drills, while Czech Republic, Poland, and Colombia will also send observers, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported, citing Brigadier General Michael Logico, exercise director of Balikatan exercises.
Last week, the Armed Forces of the Philippines confirmed the arrival of the NMESIS missile system in the country, though the exact location remains undisclosed, Philippine media the Daily Tribune reported.
The US’ 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment’s Medium-Range Missile Battery will send NMESIS to the Luzon Strait during Balikatan 2025. With the NMESIS’ 185-kilometer range, its basing across islands in Batanes could threaten vessels entering the 250-kilometer-wide Luzon Strait, according to a report by foreign news outlet Naval News.
While no missiles will be fired, the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment’s Fire Support Coordination Center “will use the opportunity presented by placing the NMESIS on islands in the Luzon Strait to conduct simulated fire missions,” the US Marines said, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, Taipei Times reported, citing a Naval News report.
The deployment of NMESIS by US forces in northern Philippines carries clear objectives, Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday. He said that it poses a threat to vessels passing through the Bashi Channel, and during potential Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) operations targeting “Taiwan independence” separatist forces, the NMESIS could threaten naval assets in the southwestern region of the island.
Zhang noted that this marks another deployment of a new missile system in the Philippines following the earlier deployment of the US Typhon Mid-Range Missile System. In April 2024, the US took advantage of the joint military drills to ship the Typhon system to the Philippines and continued to keep the system there long after the drills ended.
“By deploying two types of missile systems, the US has established a comprehensive long-, medium-, and short-range strike network, with a maximum range of 1,800 kilometers, covering China’s southeastern coastal areas, the Taiwan Straits, the Bashi Channel, and the northern South China Sea,” said Zhang.
China, according to Zhang, like other ASEAN member states, firmly opposes the US deployment of medium-range and land-based anti-ship missile systems in the Philippines as it will undoubtedly undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea region.
“In the event of a conflict, these locations where missiles are deployed will inevitably become targets for counterstrikes,” said Zhang. “The Philippines’ approach essentially amounts to opening the door to a predator and will only backfire.” –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
