US, Japan and South Korea hold drills in disputed sea as Biden hosts leaders of Japan, Philippines

ABOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT — A US aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt held a three-day joint exercise with its allies Japan and South Korea, as US President Joe Biden gathered for talks with leaders from Japan and the Philippines at the White House. The dueling military and diplomatic maneuvers aim to strengthen the partners’ solidarity in the face of China’s aggressive military actions in the region.

A number of U.S. and South Korean guided missile destroyers and a Japanese warship took part in the April 10-12 exercise in the disputed East China Sea, where concerns over China’s territorial claims are growing. The Associated Press was one of several news organizations that got a front-row view of the exercises.

Vice Admiral Christopher Alexander, commander of Carrier Strike Group Nine, said the three countries conducted undersea warfare exercises, maritime interdiction operations, search and rescue exercises and work focused on communications and data sharing. He told reporters Thursday at the Roosevelt that these exercises would help improve communications between the United States and its allies and “better prepare us for a crisis in the region.”

F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jets took off from the aircraft carrier’s flight deck, which also had anti-submarine MH-60R Seahawk helicopters. Journalists were flown for more than an hour from Kadena Air Base, the center of the US Air Force in the Pacific. Kadena is located on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, where about half of Japan’s 50,000 U.S. troops are stationed.

“It’s a busy time; There is a lot going on in the world,” Alexander said. “The importance of this exercise is that we have three like-minded countries, three like-minded navies that believe in peace, security and stability in the Western Pacific.”

The participation of Japan and South Korea was another sign of improved ties between the sometimes wary neighbors. The relationship between the two U.S. allies has often been tense amid the memory of Japan’s half-century colonization of the Korean Peninsula. Washington has pressured them to work together so that the three partners can better deal with threats from China and North Korea.

The massive defeat in this week’s parliamentary elections by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s ruling party, which has sought better ties with Japan, could limit his Japan-friendly efforts, but experts believe ties will remain stable.

The latest naval exercise is part of Biden’s work to deepen security and diplomatic engagement with the Indo-Pacific countries. Biden invited Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos to the White House on Thursday for their first trilateral talks, saying the US defense commitment to Pacific allies is “ironclad.”

Tensions have risen between China and the Philippines after repeated clashes between the two countries’ coast guard ships in the disputed South China Sea. Chinese coast guard ships also regularly approach disputed Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea near Taiwan.

Beijing has defended its operations in the South China Sea and blamed the United States for creating tensions. Chinese President Xi Jinping held a series of talks this week with senior officials from Vietnam, Russia and Taiwan.

The naval exercises between the US, Japan and South Korea follow quadruple exercises in the South China Sea, where Japan joined the United States, Australia and the Philippines. The participants carefully avoided mentioning China, saying they were holding the exercises to secure a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific.

The South China Sea, an area where long-simmering disputes have existed, is an important shipping route for global trade. Concerned governments include Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Taiwan.