(Bloomberg) -- US, Japan and the Philippines on Friday held a new round of maritime cooperative activity within Manila’s exclusive economic zone following a flare-up of tensions in the disputed South China Sea.
“This builds upon previous MCAs and our continuing operations together, which strengthen the interoperability of our defense/armed forces doctrines, tactics, techniques, and procedures,” the US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.
The exercise comes days after the Philippines said its vessels were subjected to “aggressive actions” by Chinese ships, which rammed and deployed water cannon on government vessels in contested waters.
“The US, along with our allies and partners, uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect to the maritime rights under international law,” the statement said.
Read: US Says Its Forces Are Supporting Philippines in South China Sea
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