MANILA, April 13 (Reuters) – The U.S. and Australia joined the Philippines for their second joint maritime exercises in the South China Sea this year, amid tensions with China in the disputed waterway.
The four-day drills from April 9 to 12 brought together warships, fighter jets and surveillance aircraft in a series of coordinated operations to strengthen maritime defence capabilities, the Philippine military said on Monday.
The exercises underscored the “deepening defence cooperation among the three nations and their shared commitment to regional security”, it said in a statement.
The Philippines deployed its FA‑50 fighter jets, while Australia contributed P‑8A Poseidon aircraft and the United States the USS Ashland, a dock landing ship.
The drills came ahead of the April 20 opening of the annual large-scale war games called Balikatan – or “shoulder-to-shoulder” – between Manila and Washington, which for the first time will include Japan as a full participant rather than an observer, alongside Australia.
The Philippines and China have traded accusations over a series of incidents in the South China Sea, including a recent encounter in which Beijing fired flares nL4N40S0OJ at a Philippine Coast Guard aircraft.
Beijing has routinely opposed Manila’s joint military activities with its allied partners in the South China Sea, saying such drills heighten tensions in the region.
(Reporting by Nestor Corrales; Editing by Kevin Buckland)
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