Australia, Canada, Philippines hold joint drills near disputed shoal

Australia, Canada and the Philippines staged joint military exercises near the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, deploying three warships and aircraft in air defence drills.

The Philippine military said Thursday the training focused on countering aerial threats “through coordinated defensive measures.” Ships taking part included the Philippines’ BRP Jose Rizal, Australia’s HMAS Brisbane and Canada’s HMCS Ville de Quebec.

The drills, held east of the shoal, were described by Manila as reaffirming “the Philippines’ commitment to advancing defence cooperation with like-minded nations.”

China and the Philippines both claim the Scarborough Shoal, while Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also hold overlapping claims. Beijing did not immediately comment on the exercises, but has often stressed it will defend the shoal as its territory.

Footage released by the Philippine military showed three warplanes and at least one heavy-lift helicopter flying alongside the ships.

The manoeuvres marked the final phase of Exercise ALON 2025 — the largest military drills ever held by Australia with the Philippines. More than 3,600 troops joined 15 days of live-fire exercises that conclude Friday.

“This shows we can deploy a combat-ready and combat-capable force within the Indo-Pacific to assist a security partner such as the Philippines,” Australian Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Raven told the Philippines Daily Inquirer.

He called the operation “the largest airlift of Australian combat forces since the 1999 East Timor mission.”

The Scarborough Shoal remains one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the region. Earlier this month, a Chinese navy ship and a Chinese coastguard vessel collided while trying to block a Philippine coastguard ship near the shoal. Satellite images later confirmed one of the damaged Chinese vessels was repaired at Hainan Island.

Although a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration rejected Beijing’s sweeping South China Sea claims, sovereignty over the shoal itself has never been settled. The court also ruled China’s blockade of the area illegal and recognised the shoal as a traditional fishing ground for multiple countries. China rejects the ruling and continues to patrol the waters with naval, coastguard and militia forces.