The Philippines and the United States begin an annual military exercise that will include a coordinated sail in the South China Sea and other drills set in the Southeast Asia country's northern provinces, amid China's aggressive acts against Philippine vessels in the sea.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will agree next week to pave the way for jointly developing key defense equipment as the decades-old alliance between the United States and Japan should enter a new stage for the stability of the Indo-Pacific region, a top U.S. diplomat says.
It would be the first full-scale exercise involving the four countries aimed at enhancing interoperability among their forces, amid China’s continuing aggressive actions.
Japan, the United States, Australia and the Philippines are set to hold a joint naval exercise on Sunday off the Southeast Asian country's Palawan Island in the South China Sea, multiple government sources say, amid China's continuing aggressive actions.