US and Philippines launch massive naval exercises in South China Sea as China hosts naval summit
RIVAL shows of strength began in the China seas today, as the US and Filipino navies launched their largest combat exercises in decades just as an international naval summit kicked off in the Chinese city of Qingdao.
Over 16,000 US and Filipino troops will be joined by a few hundred French and Australian personnel for conflict scenarios across the South China Sea, where the Philippines is one of several countries with territorial and maritime rights disputes with Beijing.
China accused the Philippines of “ganging up” on it with a power from outside the region that had no business there, a clear reference to the US.
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