A FLURRY of fresh military exercises is highlighting rising tensions in the Asia Pacific, with China and Russia today joining forces to practice seizing islands and hunting submarines.

But Beijing also took the opportunity to send a message to the United States: It’s mid-Pacific island fortress of Guam is now also within the reach of Chinese forces.

A ‘rapid deployment’ exercise yesterday saw bombers, fighters and supporting aircraft surge past the Philippines and Taiwan and deep into the west Pacific.

China’s military has stated such ‘blue water’ exercises will ‘be normalised’ as part of future weapons testing and training programs.

Chinese and Russian navies to hold an annual drill in the #SouthChinaSea from Sept. 12 to 19 pic.twitter.com/5FBpN6BUGb — CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) September 11, 2016

But the United States appears to be responding in kind: News reports out of India state Washington and New Delhi will soon be engaging in joint army exercises barely 100km from India’s border with China.

Beijing has laid claim to the bulk of the South China Sea, despite competing claims from adjoining nations including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

It has also been aggressively promoting a “One Belt, One Road” initiative which essentially sees the restoration of ancient “Silk Road” trade routes with the Middle East via Pakistan and the Indian Ocean.

ISLAND CAMPAIGN

The eight day naval drill kicked off Monday in the South China Sea off China’s Guangdong province.

Observers are watching closely exactly how far into disputed territorial waters “Joint Sea 2016” will take place, with its mixture of surface warships, submarines, aircraft, helicopters and marines.

#China & #Russia are staging an 8-day joint naval drill, beginning on Monday in waters off south China's Guangdong. pic.twitter.com/TVj4h9mS1B — China Plus News (@ChinaPlusNews) September 12, 2016

A Chinese navy statement released at the weekend said the exercise would focus on rescue operations, as well as anti-submarine operations and “island seizing”.

Chinese and Russian marines are expected to take part in live-fire drills emulating beach landing operations.

It’s the largest joint operation ever conducted by the two navies, the statement says.

Russian news agency TASS reported that the Russian naval detachment “consisting of the big antisubmarine ships Admiral Tributs and Admiral Vinogradov, the big amphibious ship Peresvet, the sea towboat Alatau, and the tanker Pechenga”.

Exclusive: Russian fleets arriving at naval port in Zhanjiang ahead of joint drill with China in #SouthChinaSea pic.twitter.com/6Z6oRN9oJd — CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) September 12, 2016

“From September 11 through to September 19, the ship crew will take part in the Joint Sea 2016 war-games of the Chinese Naval Force that will be held on the coast and in the water area of the South China Sea,” TASS reported a naval press officer as saying.

Activities are said to include “anti-subversion,, antisubmarine, anti-aircraft, and anti-ship defence and have done preparatory artillery firing at aerial and sea-based targets.”

Russia has backed Beijing’s recent rejection of an international court of arbitration ruling which found its claims to have historical rights to several contested shoals and reefs as false.

CHINA PUSHES DEEP

Beijing’s flexing of military muscles is not being limited to the naval exercises with Russia, however.

On Monday it sent a flight of H6K nuclear-capable bombers and Su-30MKK fighters through the channel between the Philippines and Taiwan and deep into the western Pacific.

A Chinese news agency has reported a Chinese Air Force colonel as saying the formation of fighters, bombers, tanker and AWACS aircraft passed through the Bashi Channel for ‘blue water’ training “to enhance the ability to safeguard national sovereignty, to defend national security, peace and development.”

China’s Air Force dispatches military aircraft to carry out annual drill in the West Pacific region: spokesman pic.twitter.com/ymnQssBBz9 — CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) September 12, 2016

PLAAF conducts blue-water training with Su-30MKK,H-6K,Il-78 tanker,KJ-2000 AEW&C aircraft in western Pacific today. pic.twitter.com/JVUZ7cbnfg — dafeng cao (@xinfengcao) September 12, 2016

It’s a clear demonstration of Beijing’s growing military reach and influence extending beyond the so-called ‘nine-dash line’ of the South and East China Seas and into a ‘second chain’ of islands including Japan, Guam and Palau.

The United States maintains a major naval and air force facility on Guam, including detachments of B-52 and B-1 strategic bombers.

JOINT US/INDIAN EXERCISES

Incian media is reporting some 225 US Army troops will take part in a two-week exercise named Yudh Abhyas from September 14.

While it is the 12th time US and Indian forces have exercised together, it is the first time it has been conducted in an area close to the border with China.

“Interconnectivity and interdependence are the new global order, interoperability and jointness as being applied in Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2016 are the new military essentials,” Lt Gen Balwant Singh Negi, GOC in C Central Command, told The Sunday Guardian.

In June, India expressed its displeasure at developments in the South China Sea and China’s growing military presence in the Indian Ocean by conducting a ‘freedom of navigation’ exercise in the South China Sea in June.

US and Indian defence secretaries recently signed a Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement which promotes a formal means of co-operation between the two nations to share each others’ military facilities and improve military co-operation.

#ausnavy's major biennial exercise #Kakadu16 has kicked off in Darwin with 18 nations joining #yourADF pic.twitter.com/1IRwCDZQJT — VADM Ray Griggs (@VCDF_Australia) September 12, 2016