US Marines storm beach near disputed reef in South China Sea joint military drills
US Marines hold military drills with the Philippines, South Korea and Japan in South China Sea
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. Marines stormed a beach from the South China Sea Friday in joint military drills organized with troops from South Korea, Japan and the Philippines.
The exercises were held on an uninhabited beach in Zambales province in the Philippines, roughly 150 miles east of the Scarborough Shoal, a rocky outcrop along Manila’s coastline.
U.S. and South Korean marines take positions after disembarking from a U.S. Marine landing ship during a joint amphibious landing exercise with their Filipino counterparts at a beach facing the South China Sea in San Antonio town, Zambales province, Oct. 7, 2022. (Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images)
The rocky reef made headlines in 2012 when China seized the area. It has since claimed it as its own, and its fishermen and coast guard have maintained a dominant presence.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NUCLEAR-POWERED US CARRIER JOINS SOUTH KOREA WARSHIPS FOR DRILLS AFTER NORTH KOREA MISSILE LAUNCHES
The KAMANDAG drills — the Filipino acronym for "Cooperation of the Warriors of the Sea" — began Monday and will involve some 3,500 troops through Oct. 14, the Daily Mail reported Friday.
Images showed U.S. forces conducting joint amphibious landing exercises with soldiers from South Korea, Japan and the Philippines.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}South Korean and U.S. Marines take positions during a joint amphibious landing exercise with their Filipino counterparts on a beach facing the South China Sea in San Antonio town, Zambales province, Oct. 7, 2022. (Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images)
Demonstrations on landing craft, weaponry and chemical agent detectors were displayed in images depicting the drills.
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The joint exercises are the first of its kind under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, who has reversed Manila's stance toward the U.S. previously held by the Rodrigo Duterte administration.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Duterte canceled U.S. drills and pivoted toward a more China-centric geopolitical focus.
South Korean (foreground) and U.S. Marines take part in a joint amphibious landing exercise with their Philippine counterparts at a beach facing the South China Sea in San Antonio town, Zambales province, Oct. 7, 2022. (Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images)
But, in New York last month, Marcos told President Biden he appreciated the U.S.’s role in "maintaining the peace in our region."
The joint drills come as tensions in eastern Asia are on the rise with North Korea ramping up ballistic missile testing as strained relations between the West and China persist.
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Filipino amphibious assault vehicles roll in during a joint amphibious landing exercise with U.S. Marines at a beach overlooking the South China Sea in San Antonio town, Zambales province, Oct. 7, 2022. (Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images)
China’s recent aggression around Taiwan has concerned Western officials for months, particularly following a visit to Taipei by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that prompted a drastic increase in war games around the island.
Beijing has further frustrated regional nations in the South China Sea, like the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, who have contested China’s overt attempts at gaining dominance over the international waters.