Philippines Says Joint Maritime Exercises Rein in China

A Philippine marines (L) and South Korean soldier (R) sit aboard a marines patrol boat during a joint visit, board and seizure (VBS) exercise with their US and South Korean counterparts with members of Japan's self-defence forces as observers, at the marines training base in Ternate town, Cavite province, west of Manila on October 22, 2024. Ted ALJIBE / AFP

Joint naval exercises held frequently by the Philippines, United States, and other Western powers are helping rein in “aggressive” Chinese actions in the South China Sea, a Filipino military official said Wednesday.

Beijing has sought to expand its presence in the disputed waterway for years, brushing aside an international ruling that its claim to most of the sea has no legal basis.

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