By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
MANILA (Worthy News) – Maritime saber-rattling continued in disputed South China Sea waters Thursday after the Philippines said three Chinese navy ships “tailed” a joint military exercise it began with three Western allies.
The two-day exercise by the Philippines, the United States, Canada, and Australia was the first exercise by the four nations.
It followed the first Philippines-Japan joint exercise in the South China Sea last week, signaling to Beijing that several nations will not tolerate its perceived military posturing.
Southeast Asian states reject China’s claim on 90 percent of the water, which is rich in fishing stocks, is believed to have oil and gas deposits, and sees $3 trillion of annual trade transit.
The South China Sea is disputed by China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.
Those tensions surfaced Wednesday with the Philippines military saying three Chinese navy vessels had “tailed” the four-nation exercise.
‘ILLEGAL ENCROACHMENT’
China’s military later said it had only organized a combat patrol near the Scarborough Shoal area, which Manila calls Bajo de Masinloc and China refers to as Huangyan Island.
However, the Philippines military maintained, “Aside from the usual illegal encroachment and presence of Chinese maritime militia vessels, we have not monitored any purported exercise or combat patrols.”
Manila and Beijing have recently clashed in the area, accusing each other of aggressive behavior and damaging the marine environment. Several collisions and confrontations have occurred on the water.
Christians in the Philippines told Worthy News they pray that no war will break out between the two Asian nations.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague said China’s extended claims on the South China Sea had no legal basis, a decision Beijing has rejected.
The latest standoff added to regional unrest with China’s military increasingly active around Taiwan, the democratically ruled island nation that Beijing claims as its own.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
President Donald Trump signed the temporary peace deal with Iran ahead of schedule Wednesday at the Palace of Versailles in France, kicking off negotiations over a final nuclear deal.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s statement following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the United States is being viewed by analysts not as an embrace of peace, but as a carefully crafted declaration that preserves Tehran’s revolutionary posture while allowing the regime to regroup.
The United States imposed new sanctions Thursday on individuals and entities linked to Hezbollah, accusing them of using political and financial influence to obstruct Lebanon’s peace process and delay the Iran-backed group’s disarmament.
Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Moscow since the war began, hitting a key oil refinery and other targets around the Russian capital, leaving at least one person dead and numerous others injured, Russian officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Southeast Asian leaders in Kazan this week as Moscow moved to deepen ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and promote its vision of a “multipolar world order” aimed at countering U.S. global dominance.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon and will maintain a security zone there for as long as Israel’s defense needs require, placing Jerusalem at odds with both Tehran and the terms of a U.S.-Iran memorandum that calls for an end to hostilities in Lebanon.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO leaders Thursday that the Pentagon is launching a six-month review of U.S. force posture and basing in Europe, signaling a major push by the Trump administration to ensure European allies assume primary responsibility for defending the continent.