For the first time, the US will conduct naval exercises with a coalition of Southeast Asian countries amid tensions over territory in the South China Sea. The US said the drills will help "maintain maritime security."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/G. Amarasinghe
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Joint US-ASEAN naval exercises started Monday at the Sattahip Naval Base in Thailand, with eight warships, four aircraft and over 1,000 military personnel from the US and 10 Southeast Asian countries taking part in five days of drills and tests.
The ASEAN-US Maritime Exercise (AUMX) is taking place as the US increases its engagement in the South China Sea amid Chinese territorial claims and tensions between Beijing and Southeast Asian nations. It will be co-led by the US and Royal Thai navies.
According to a statement from the US embassy in Bangkok, the exercises will take place in "international waters," including the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, and will conclude in Singapore.
The purpose of the exercise is to "maintain maritime security, focus on prevention and preempt wrongdoing in the sea."
The US Navy said in a statement that the exercises would "execute a variety of realistic scenarios designed to reinforce interoperability." These include search and seizure drills, tracking drills and increasing cooperation in maritime domain awareness.
Parts of the South China Sea are claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, while China says most of the waters are part of its territory.
China has demarcated an extensive area of the sea with a so-called "nine-dash line" that first appeared on Chinese maps in the late 1940s.
In 2018, ASEAN conducted similar drills with China as the regional bloc walks a tightrope between Washington and Beijing.
Collin Koh, a strategic analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore, told DW that the joint drill with the US is part of ASEAN's strategy of asserting its strategic influence in the region.
"By and large, ASEAN member states adopt their own approaches in minimizing the chances of being negatively affected by the US-China rivalry while seeking to reap benefits from that dynamic," he said.
Koh emphasized that ASEAN does not necessarily view the often hostile relationship between the US and China as negative, but rather as an opportunity to cement its own importance and global standing.
Satellite images show the extent and speed of China's land reclamation activities in disputed waters of the South China Sea. The new land masses are believed to be primarily military installations.
Image: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe
Runway
China is expanding the construction of its facilities on Fiery Cross Reef. Provided by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), this June 28, 2015 photo reveals Beijing has nearly completed a 3,000 meter (9,800-foot) airstrip, long enough to accommodate most Chinese military aircraft. Two helipads, up to 10 satellite communications antennas, and one possible radar tower are also visible.
Image: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe
Expansion
Reclamation on Fiery Cross Reef, which lies on the west side of the Spratly Islands, began in August of 2014 and its principal landmass was finished by November. Dredgers have created a land mass that spans the entire existing reef and is approximately 3,000 meters long and 200-300 meters wide.
Image: Reuters//U.S. Navy
Facilities
This picture taken last November shows construction work being carried out on Fiery Cross Reef. The reef reportedly already houses a helicopter landing pad, a 300-meter-long wharf, a harbor large enough to dock military tankers, barracks and artillery emplacements.
Image: CSIS, IHS Jane's
South Johnson Reef
This reef was one of the first facilities to finish principal land reclamation. This recent picture shows that a radar tower is nearing completion at the north end of the land mass. According to AMTI, a new large multi-level military facility has been built in the center of the island. Up to six surveillance towers are being constructed alongside four possible weapons towers.
Image: Asia Maritime Transparency Iniative
A naval base?
Beginning in early 2015, Mischief Reef - also located in the Spratlys - has undergone extensive reclamation activity. Experts say that the recent widening of the southern entrance to the reef, coupled with sightings of Chinese navy vessels, may suggest a future role for the reclaimed reef as a naval base. Taken on March 17, this image shows a chain of small land formations at the reef.
Image: CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe
From reef to island
Significant construction on Gaven Reef began in 2014, with a total of 114,000 square meters of land already created. Satellite pictures show just how fast construction has progressed on the reef. A new artificial island was created between March (left) and August (right) 2014.
According to AMTI, China has had a troop garrison on Gaven Reef since 2003, which has included a large supply platform where ships can dock. Experts say a new main square building in the reef appears to be an anti-aircraft tower.
Image: AMTI
A standardized process
As seen in this image, the basic process of expanding these features involves dredging sand from the seafloor and dumping it onto the reefs. The structure is raised above the high water line, hiding the status of the bank or reef beneath. The sand is then smoothed out and workers surround the island with a concrete barrier to protect against erosion and storm surge, and begin construction.
Image: CSIS
'Historic rights'
China claims most of the potentially energy-rich waterway, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The US Pacific Fleet commander recently said China was "creating a great wall of sand" in the South China Sea, causing serious concerns about its territorial intentions. Beijing argues it is asserting its so-called "historic rights" to maritime resources in the area.
Image: DW
Territorial disputes
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims, which have led to territorial disputes in the area. Last summer, China's deployment of a massive oil rig in waters also claimed by Hanoi escalated tensions in the region, sparking a standoff at sea and violent anti-Chinese demonstrations in Vietnam.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
US concerns
Washington is concerned China's efforts carry a military dimension that could undermine the US' naval and economic power in the Pacific, and has weighed sending warships and surveillance aircraft within 12 nautical miles of the new artificial islands. Washington has repeatedly called on Beijing and others to end reclamation projects in the disputed waters, but Beijing rejects those demands.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Abbugao
Ecological impact
The Philippines filed a formal plea at the UN last year, challenging Beijing's territorial claims. Manila said China's reclamation activities are causing "irreversible and widespread damage to the biodiversity and ecological balance of the South China Sea." It also claimed that the destruction of coral reef systems is estimated to cause economic losses valued at $100 million annually.
Image: CC2.0/TheAnimalDay
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A Chinese sea?
The AUMX comes amid the latest territorial flare-up in the South China Sea, this time between China and Vietnam. In July, a Chinese gas survey ship and escort naval vessels entered waters in the Vietnamese exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which Hanoi saw as a violation of its territorial sovereignty.
The Pentagon last week accused Beijing of efforts to "violate the rules-based international order throughout the Indo-Pacific."
The move has also complicated negotiations over China's so-called code of conduct in the South China Sea, which is "ensure peace and stability." Washington has criticized the code as forcing ASEAN countries to acquiesce to unfavorable terms set by Beijing.
China has constructed seven man-made islands in the South China Sea and equipped them with military runways and outposts.
The US Navy frequently carries out so-called freedom of navigation exercises in the region by sailing ships through international waters. These frequently come into contact with Chinese naval ships.
The South China Sea is an important shipping route where an estimated $5 trillion (€4.5 trillion) worth of trade passes every year.
