The United States, Japan and the Philippines on Friday staged joint naval drills to boost crisis readiness off a disputed South China Sea shoal as a Chinese military ship kept watch from a distance. The Chinese frigate attempted to get closer to the waters,

China's military said it had conducted a patrol in the South China Sea on Friday, the day U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Washington's commitment to the Philippines, which disputes some of Beijing's claims in the waterway.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Americas ironclad commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines during his visit to Manila, stressing the importance of deterrence in the South China Sea