Japan, U.S., Australia, Philippines to hold joint naval drills

INA-source
Japan, the United States, Australia and the Philippines said Saturday they will conduct their first full-scale joint naval exercises in the South China Sea, in an apparent show of unity against China's maritime assertiveness.

The Maritime Cooperative Activity will be held in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone on Sunday to demonstrate the "collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific," the four countries' defense ministers said in a joint statement.

Since holding the first meeting of their defense chiefs in June last year, the United States and its three allies have been beefing up their bilateral or multilateral ties.

China has become increasingly assertive in the resource-rich South China Sea. In the most recent incident, China's coast guard used water cannons against a Philippine ship near a disputed shoal late last month.