Joint and provocative exercise of the United States, Australia, Japan and the Philippines

The United States, Australia, Japan and the Philippines announced that they will hold joint naval and air military exercises on Sunday in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

According to the RT report, the defense ministers of these countries announced in a joint statement: In demonstrating our collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open region in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, our combined armed defense forces on 7 In April 2024, they will conduct a joint naval exercise in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

The maneuvers of the forces of the four countries in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims to have almost complete sovereignty over, are held a few days before the first tripartite meeting between US President Joe Biden and the leaders of the Philippines and Japan.

Earlier this week, the Australian warship Waramonga entered Philippine waters in the Palawan Islands, which lie across the disputed waters.

 Regional tensions in the region have escalated in the past year as China has asserted its sovereignty over the South China Sea, which is also claimed by the Philippines, Japan and Taiwan. But in response, the United States, which is present outside the region, sought to strengthen its alliances in the region, including with treaty countries such as Japan and the Philippines.

Earlier this week, China asked the Philippines to respect the facts and consider the relevant understandings between the two sides and the provisions of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea, and take the right path to resolve the disputes through dialogue and consultation as soon as possible. Time to come back.