This is the first time that exercises involving these three countries have been held in this operational sector located in the extreme north of the Philippines, said Philippine army spokesman Xerxes Trinidad. The operations took place over six days and ended on Thursday, February 26. They included a live firing exercise conducted by the Philippine missile-frigate BRP Antonio Luna.
Chinese state media condemned these exercises, accusing Manila of “disturbing peace and stability in the region,” according to Chinese military spokesman Zhai Shichen. He specified that China had carried out a “routine patrol” in the South China Sea from February 23 to 26. The Batanes Islands are only a little over a hundred kilometers south of Taiwan, an island that Beijing, which regularly conducts encirclement exercises, does not rule out taking control of by force.
In November, Japanese nationalist Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of an attack on Taiwan, causing a sharp deterioration in relations with Beijing. Tokyo also announced on Tuesday that it plans to deploy surface-to-air missiles on its Yonaguni Island, located about 110 kilometers east of Taiwan.
