US, Japan, Philippines Conduct Exercises in South China Sea

The armed forces of the Philippines, United States and Japan on Friday conducted a "maritime cooperative activity" within the Manila's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said.

The exercises aim to strengthen the interoperability of defense tactics, techniques, and procedures, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.

The activity came two days after the latest maritime run-in between the Philippines and China at Scarborough Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea.