In West Philippine Sea
Russia-China Naval Drills -China and Russia will have an eight-day naval drill in the disputed West Philippine Sea, in the southern part of the Guangdong Province, China, to start on Monday.
In a report by Interaksyon, it said that Chines navy stated that the said exercises came at the right time as the tension in the disputed waters are rising after the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) was released by The Hague in July.
The ruling said that China has no historical evidence in the region and was even criticized for its environmental destruction in the area. But, China stood by not honoring the ruling of the PCA.
According to the Chinese navy as what it said on its official microblog, the said navy drills between China and Russia, “Joint Sea-2016” will feature the ships, fixed-wing aircraft, submarines, ship-borne helicopters, and marines.
The report added that the drills will include rescue, defense, and anti-submarine operations, also, a so-called “island seizing” and other related activities.
The statement said that the marines will participate in “live-f1re drills”, landing operations, and island defense. This would be the largest operation done by the two nations’ navies, it added.
According to the report, the said drills are not done for the other countries but is aimed at strengthening cooperation between Russia and China.
China has been claiming most of the West Philippine Sea wherein other countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan have been also claiming.
The disputed region is reportedly having a rich supply of natural gas and oil.
Meanwhile, China has been blaming the United States for its continued patrolling at the region and for siding with the Philippines, its long-time ally.
On the other hand, U.S. said that it is just having its right to freedom of navigation in the West Philippine Sea and denies siding with the Philippines on the territorial disputes.
