Today, the United States, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines conducted a joint military exercise in the South China Sea. The Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army of China released a message on the WeChat public account, stating that the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army organized a joint sea-air combat patrol in the South China Sea today, and all military activities that disrupt the situation in the South China Sea and create hot spots are under control.
The U.S., Japan and the Philippines will launch joint naval patrols in the South China Sea later this year, according to a U.S. official and a foreign diplomat familiar with the planning. It’s a major move to counter China in the region — and one likely to elicit a strong response from Beijing.
It would be the first full-scale exercise involving the four countries aimed at enhancing interoperability among their forces, the sources said. The exercise will include anti-submarine warfare training, communication drills and sailing ships in formation.
The three-country naval maneuvers are part of a package of initiatives that President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will unveil at their first-ever trilateral summit this month, the official and the diplomat said.
