China Slams Australia Over South China Sea War Games

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China's Foreign Ministry has taken a swipe at Australia after the Royal Australian Navy joined the US and the Philippines for another round of military exercises in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

The HMAS Sydney, a guided-missile destroyer, teamed up with a Philippine Navy frigate and aircraft from both the US and the Philippines for the latest round of drills. This follows months of growing clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the area, which have prompted countries like Australia, the US, Japan, and Canada to step up their military presence and cooperation with Manila.

But China wasn’t impressed.

A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, Lin Jian, came out swinging, accusing the US of using the Philippines as a “pawn” and saying the joint exercises were a deliberate effort to “create trouble” and “flex military muscles.”

He claimed countries outside the region — like Australia — were stoking confrontation under the guise of cooperation.

“They patch up small groupings... to flex military muscles in the name of freedom, and create trouble in the name of upholding order,” Lin said.

Now, China claims nearly the entire South China Sea as its own — even though a 2016 international court ruling rejected those claims. Still, Beijing continues to push forward, often clashing with the Philippines in particular.

While Australia hasn’t responded directly to the latest comments from Beijing, the Department of Defence stood by the exercises, saying they’re about building “mutual understanding” and ensuring freedom of navigation and international law are respected.

“Australia and our partners share a commitment to upholding the right to freedom of navigation and overflight,” the department said last week.

The Albanese government has also made it clear: it’s not backing down.

Earlier this year, Australia joined joint drills with the US, Japan, and the Philippines, and also sent a surveillance plane for another round of exercises with Canada last August.

Some analysts believe China’s recent partial circumnavigation of the Australian mainland may have been a warning to Canberra — a way to discourage Australia from taking part in these multilateral drills.

But the message from the Australian government so far? We’re not going anywhere. They're standing firm, saying this kind of cooperation is essential to protect international norms and ensure the region stays open and stable.

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