China runs 'combat patrol' in disputed sea where US perform exercise
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Beijing: China also announced military patrols in the disputed South China Sea on the very day when and where the Philippines, the United States, Japan and Australia were conducting joint naval drills, Agence France-Presse reported.
The four countries have had several contentious maritime disputes with Beijing recently. They announced on Saturday that they would conduct the drills in the sea on Sunday, and a day later, China also made their announcement.
Beijing's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command said it was organising "joint naval and air combat patrols in the South China Sea".
Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China announced its "combat patrol" there in a statement, adding that all military activities that mess up the situation in the sea and create hotspots are under control.
The exercises happened when US President Joe Biden was about to hold the first trilateral summit with leaders of the Philippines and Japan. US administration reiterating the country's strong commitment to defend the Philippines against armed attack in the South China Sea must have irked Beijing.
China has been claiming sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea. It has been increasingly assertive over the region in recent years, AFP reports.
On Saturday, the Chinese Coast Guard informed that it had "handled" a situation at the disputed reef in the sea on Thursday. It said there were many Philippines ships engaging in "illegal" operations.
China's spokesperson, Gan Yu, said that Philippine government ships illegally violated and provoked organised media under the guise of 'protecting fishing'. They deliberately incite, mislead, and undermine stability in the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, the US said that the drills they conducted along with the Philippines, Japan, and Australia are intended to ensure that all countries are free to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows.
The drills, titled "Maritime Cooperative Activity", include naval and airforce units from all four countries. Japan informed that there will be 'anti-submarine warfare training".
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos made a strong statement on March 28, pledging that his country would not be cowed into silence, submission or subservience by China.