Balikatan: US-Philippines drill escalates tension in S. China Sea

The ongoing US-Philippines military drill, which apparently targets China, and the predicted passage of US Navy vessels near China's Nansha Islands are designed to serve US interests at the cost of China's, observers said.

Manila is eager to expand its territory to China's Meiji Reef in the South China Sea, said Yang Xiyu, a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, and the US "might use its joint drill with the Philippines to show support for the expansion."

"It's highly possible that US forces will choose Meiji Reef for their passage," he added.

Reuters cited an unnamed source on April 2 as saying that the US Navy plans to send ships through a passage near Meiji Reef this month, the third in a series of such challenges that have drawn sharp criticism from China.

The US has conducted so-called freedom of navigation exercises in recent months, sailing near Zhubi Reef, part of the Nansha Islands, and Zhongjian Island, part of the Xisha Islands.

The scale and number of vessels sailing near the reef are not likely to be lower than the previous two challenges undertaken by US destroyers, Yang said......-China Daily-
 8/4/16
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