MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines and the United States began a two-day joint patrol in the South China Sea on Wednesday, the Philippine military said in a statement.
Philippine armed forces chief Romeo Brawner said the second such joint military activity marked a “significant leap” in Manila’s alliance with the U.S.
Tensions have been rising in the South China Sea, where Philippines and China have traded blame over a spate of run-ins.
Last week, Beijing said it will not turn a blind eye to repeated “provocations and harassment” by the Philippines.
Chinese state media has also accused Manila of relying on U.S. support to continually antagonize China.
(Reporting by Mikhail Flores, Editing by Devjyot Ghoshal)
