US, Japan and the Philippines joint exercise in the waters of the South China Sea
The United States, Australia, Japan and the Philippines will hold joint naval and air exercises in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday.
According to the policy group of the Anna Science and Technology News Agency, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of these countries announced in a statement that this exercise is aimed at developing military relations to counter what they called China's growing threats in the region.
This exercise will be held a few days before the first tripartite meeting between the presidents of the United States, the Philippines and Japan in the disputed waterway.
This exercise and meeting takes place after repeated confrontations in recent months between Chinese and Philippine ships near disputed reefs off the coast of this Southeast Asian country. China blames the Philippines for escalating tensions in the disputed waterway, where Beijing and Manila have a long history of maritime territorial disputes.
Source: ANA
