Shannon Brandao
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"🇺🇸🇵ðŸ‡ðŸ‡¨ðŸ‡³ FT [excerpt]: The US and the #Philippines have started joint air and sea patrols in the #SouthChinaSea, the latest step in the two allies’ efforts to strengthen #military co-operation amid growing tension with Beijing in the disputed waters.
'This significant initiative is a testament to our commitment to bolster the interoperability of our military forces,' Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr wrote in a post on social media site X on Tuesday announcing the joint patrol, the first conducted with the US in seven years.
The move comes as Manila and Beijing are embroiled in an increasingly heated stand-off over the Philippine military’s regular resupply missions to its outpost on Second Thomas Shoal, a sandbank in the South China Sea that is also claimed by China.
Beijing’s attempts to disrupt the resupply missions prompted a warning from US President Joe Biden last month that 'any attack on Filipino aircraft, vessels or armed forces' would invoke Washington’s mutual #defence #treaty with the Philippines."
#news #geopolitics