MANILA- In the first few days of the new year, both superpowers engaged in tit-for-tat wargames in the contested maritime region, providing yet another indication that the South China Sea is at the center of a developing US-China new Cold War.
From January 3 to 4, the United States Indo-Pacific Command ( USINDOPACOM) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines ( AFP ) carried out the second iteration of Maritime Cooperation Activity naval drills in the South China Sea in a blatant display of force by the two allies under the terms of their respective defense treaties.
The Philippines deployed its flagship offshore patrol ships BRP , Gregorio del Pilar ( PS- 15 ), which was accompanied by three other warships and two naval helicopters, while the US sent the flagship Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS and Carl Vinson ( CVN 70 ) & nBSP, along with a guided missile cruiser, two destroyers from its Carrier Strike Group 1.
According to reports, the drills concentrated on cross-deck exercises, fixed-wing trip operations, combined patrols, and maritime communication.
In the midst of the Philippines ‘ escalating maritime issues with China, military chief General Romeo Brawner praised the more as a” major leap” in improving interoperability between the two defense allies and misunderstood the country’s “progress in defense abilities and development in the world-class military force.” They were the next significant intergovernmental naval exercise to take place since November.
China retaliated in form, seeing the US-Philippines exercises as part of a larger Pentagon-led isolation strategy.
While  , People’s Liberation Army- Navy ( PLAN ) reportedly sent two warships to shadow the American and Filipino navies conducting drills close to the Scarborough Shoal and Reed Bank — two contentious features that fall within the Philippines ‘ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and are also claimed by Beijing. The Chinese foreign ministry denounced the exercises as “provocative military activities” aimed at “flaunting their military might.”
The PLA Southern Theater Command announced that it had placed marine and flying resources there to keep an eye on “disruptive” activities in order to exercise its own military strength.
The characters of the tit-for-tat exercises are obviously engaged in a larger proper struggle to improve their relative standing in the contentious waters. The US is determined to prove its naval superiority in the Indo-Pacific, whereas the Philippines is relying on its strong allies to maintain its royal says there.
China, which has the largest naval ships in the world at its disposal, is obviously in no disposition to back down and is still committed to keeping the US at corporate distance while preventing the Philippines from fortifying its position in contested areas.
In the end, the two most potent warships are pitted against one another in what is arguably the most significant lake in the world.
Violent circumstances
Despite the fact that sea problems have been escalating for years, recent months have seen a lot of turbulence.
During an AFP supplies mission in November, as many as 38 Chinese ships swarmed the Second Thomas Shoal, which is located in the Philippines. A fortnight later, fights and confrontations with Taiwanese coast guard ships resulted in damage to two Spanish ships, one of which belonged to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
Nevertheless, an armada of Chinese army ships were spotted in the Spratly Group of Islands, suggesting that the Eastern powerhouse may have started new reclamation operations there.
Early in December, as many as 135 Chinese military ships anchored close to the Philippine-claimed Whitsun Reef. Taiwanese ships apparently water-cannoned Philippine resupply vessels on at least two occasions between November and December, including one that hosted the Filipino military chief, raising the possibility of armed conflict.
China responded with its own live-fire education when the Philippines and the US conducted maritime training in November. Beijing has issued numerous warnings, but the Philippines has intensified its defence pact with the US in an effort to increase its clout in the contentious waters.
All of this served as additional motivation for the mutual US-Philippines exercises this past week, which were probably just the start of a long string of joint military operations in the South China Sea over the course of the year. The resurgence of the security alliance under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. plainly inspires the Spanish top copper.
” Our alliance and connectivity with the United States have advanced significantly as a result of the second sea cooperative exercise.” Following the tasks, AFP chief Brawner said,” It also shows our progress in security features and growth as a world-class armed force, as we carry out our mission to protect the people and the state.”
” We are communicating with the world through our empire, which is stronger than ever.” In the face of local challenges, he continued, echoing US speech frequently directed at China on the country’s vital waterways,” We are advancing a rules-based international order and an open and free Indo-Pacific region.”  ,
For China, nonetheless, the US is not only unnecessarily meddling in local sea disputes, but it is also setting up a more comprehensive containment strategy with allies like the Philippines.
The most recent Philippine-US exercises were immediately denounced by China’s foreign ministry as “provocative military activities” carried out at the expense of” the management and control of the sea position and related issues.”
The Chinese foreign ministry stated in a statement that” China will continue to stubbornly safeguard our personal regional autonomy and sea pursuits,” directly blaming the two allied countries for inciting unrest in the area.
China’s counter-wargames included a Kind 052D guided-missile warship and an aircraft of the same type.
Soon after the Philippine-US drills began, the PLA order declared that” troops in the theatre remain on high alert at all times, firmly safeguarding national independence, security, and sea rights and interests.”  ,
The Chinese martial control added that “any military activities that destroy and establish spots in the South China Sea are fully under control.”
Richard Javad Heydarian can be reached at @RicheyDarian on X, originally Online.