China's navy conducted a combat patrol to test "strike capabilities" in the South China Sea on Wednesday as the U.S. and three allies were holding joint military drills in the same waters.
The U.S., Australia, Canada, and the Philippines drilled together in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone of the South China Sea — a stretch extending about 200 nautical miles from a country's territorial waters — on Wednesday and Thursday for the first time, U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) News reported Wednesday.
Tensions in the South China Sea have escalated following a series of confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels that have sparked fears of a wider conflict that could draw in the U.S. because of its mutual defense treaty with Manila, Voice of America reported Wednesday.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, disregarding rival claims of several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
"Australia, Canada, the Philippines, and the United States uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect for maritime rights under international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," read a joint statement signed by the defense chiefs of Canada, Australia, the Philippines, and the U.S. Indo-Pacific, whose commander is Navy Adm. Samuel Paparo.
"We stand together to address common maritime challenges and underscore our shared dedication to upholding international law and the rules-based order. Our four nations reaffirm the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal Award as a final and legally binding decision on the parties to the dispute."
The People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command of China announced its own naval and air exercises near the Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday, the China Daily reported. The news outlet run by the Chinese Communist Party reported the naval exercise "was intended to test its forces' capability to carry out reconnaissance, early warnings, rapid deployments and joint strikes, noting that it has been closely monitoring all foreign military activities aiming to make trouble, create tensions and jeopardize peace and stability in the region."
As the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie rendezvoused with Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Montreal and two Philippine naval vessels Wednesday morning, the frigate CNS Wuzhou, reportedly the most advanced surface fighter in the Chinese navy, was operating off of Montreal's starboard side, USNI News reported.
Chatter on the Montreal suggested the crew knew they had a Chinese ship on their tail, and sailors were advised not to bring their personal cellphones up to the flight deck because foreign vessels were operating nearby.
"Today was a good demonstration of the valuable opportunity to train together with our friends in the U.S. Navy, the Philippine Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force," Cmdr. Travis Bain, commanding officer of the Montreal, said in a statement to the USNI News. "It is also a clear demonstration of Canada's commitment to the rules-based international order especially in the Indo-Pacific."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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