China Deploys Warships Against US Presence in South China Sea

China deployed naval forces for patrols in the South China Sea earlier this week, while the United States conducted a maritime exercise with its treaty ally the Philippines.

The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said in a news release that it and the Armed Forces of the Philippines held a Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) within the Southeast Asian country's waters from Sunday to Monday in support of "a free and open Indo-Pacific."

While blaming the Philippines for "disrupting peace and stability" in the South China Sea through joint patrols with non-regional countries, the Chinese military warned it would safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.

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