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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.
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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.