US, Australia, Philippines hold second joint drills in South China Sea this year

The US 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. Read: Australia appoints woman to lead its army for the first time 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 at a Philippine Coast Guard aircraft. Zhai Shichen, spokesperson for China's Southern Theatre Command (STC), said in a statement on Monday that the Chinese navy conducted a routine patrol in the South China Sea ​over the same ​four days the ⁠drills were held. "In an attempt to stir up troubles in the region, the Philippines co-opted countries outside the region to ​organise so-called joint patrols, disrupting peace and stability in the ​South China ⁠Sea," Zhai said. "Forces of the STC will resolutely safeguard China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and firmly uphold regional peace and stability." 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.