Australian and Filipino armies conducted military drills on Friday, near the tense area in South China Sea.
In a press conference broadcasted by Channel NewsAsia, Filipino President Bongbong Marcos said that such military cooperation with other countries in the light of the tension the area is witnessing is very important.
In a joint statement, the Philippines defense minister Gilbert Teodoro and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles said that the drills are vital in preparing to deal with any possible threat.
The land, sea and air drills are the first of their kind between two big countries, that focus on regaining control over an island seized by an enemy, they added.
They noted that they will also plan on regularly patroling the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, Marles affirmed that they are committed to resolve conflits by international law.
China has hundreds of coastguard ships deployed across the sea, where the country demands almost a full ownership, although the intenational community affirmed that China’s claims have no legal standards
Source: Kuwait News Agency