US, Australia, Canada, Philippines Drill In South China Sea

                              US, Australia, Canada, Philippines Drill In South China Sea

On Wednesday, the US, Canada, Australia, and the Philippines conducted joint maritime operations in the South China Sea. The joint patrols come after a Filipino sailor lost a finger to axe-wielding Chinese forces in a June clash in the Second Thomas Shoal [BBC]. While no one was killed, the recent clash marks a step up from the usual ramming of ships and a reminder of how prone the region is to escalation. In a 1988 clash between China and Vietnam, 64 Vietnamese military personnel were killed [Business Insider].

China has laid claim to most of the South China Sea and has territorial disputes with several different countries including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam [CFR]. To protect its claims, Beijing has built a series of militarised islands throughout the sea. It also relies on an aggressive coast guard that engages in “grey zone” tactics or less-than-lethal tactics to deny access to contested areas.