The Philippines held a joint patrol in the South China Sea that included forces from Japan, Australia, the U.S. and New Zealand on Saturday. The joint patrol was the fourth multilateral maritime cooperative activity held to date.

The Philippines yesterday condemned the “irresponsible and dangerous actions” against its legitimate activities within the country’s exclusive economic zone. “We do not accept narratives depicting the South China Sea as a theater of major power rivalry because they all ignore what is an essential truth: all states in this region have a right to determine their own destiny and secure their own future,

In this January 2020 file photo, Philippine Navy personnel join their US, Indian and Japanese counterparts in a maritime exercise in the South China Sea. Courtesy of the Philippine Navy MANILA (UPDATED) — The militaries of the Philippines,