Navy exercises planned in South China Sea

The United States and the Philippines will begin 11 days of maritime security exercises near disputed waters in the South China Sea next week, with the Philippines buoyed by a renewed US pledge of support in boosting its military capabilities. On Thursday US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed to support its old ally amid growing tension between China and its neighbours in disputed areas of the South China Sea. Lieutenant Noel Cadigal of the Philippine navy said two US guided missile destroyers and a salvage ship would join four Philippine gunboats for gunnery, patrol and interdiction drills off the southern tip of Palawan island. "We will also hold anti-piracy and anti-smuggling exercises and test the interoperability and readiness of the two navies in responding to various scenarios, such as security, disaster and humanitarian assistance," Cadigal said. Tension has risen sharply in the South China Sea, which the Philippines calls the West Philippine Sea, in recent months on concern China is becoming more assertive in its claim to the disputed waters believed to be rich in oil and natural gas. The Philippines says there have been nine intrusions by China since February in its territorial waters off Palawan. It has said the location of the drills was chosen some time ago and is not related to the current tension. Next week's drills, known as Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT), are among dozens of military activities the two nations carry out annually under a 1951 Mutual Defence Treaty (MDT). The US said it was ready to provide hardware to modernise the military of the Philippines, which vowed to, "stand up to any aggressive action," amid rising tension at sea with China. Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, on a visit to Washington, said the Philippines hoped to lease equipment to upgrade its aged fleet and called for the allies to revamp their relationship in light of the friction with China. "We are determined and committed to supporting the defence of the Philippines," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a joint news conference when asked about the hardware wish-list from the Philippines. Clinton said the two nations were working, "to determine what are the additional assets that the Philippines needs and how we can best provide those." She said del Rosario would meet Defence Secretary Robert Gates and other Pentagon officials. Tensions in the strategic and resource-rich South China Sea have escalated in recent weeks, with the Philippines and Vietnam alarmed at what they say are increasingly aggressive actions by Beijing in the disputed waters. "We are concerned that recent incidents in the South China Sea could undermine peace and stability," Clinton told reporters, urging "all sides to exercise self-restraint." From / Gulf News