US, UK hold rare joint drills in the South China Sea

Hong Kong: The US and the UK on Wednesday finished a joint six-day drill in the South China Sea, a move that is likely to stoke anger in China as it claims a large area of the contested sea as its territory, the media reported. The US military announced in a statement cited by CNN that the guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell and the Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll conducted operations in the South China Sea between January 11 and 16. The drills came less than a week after Beijing reacted furiously to the USS McCampbell sailing within 12 nautical miles of Chinese-claimed territory in the Paracel Islands. The Chinese Foreign Ministry that time accused Washington of trespassing in its territorial waters. The two vessels conducted communications drills, division tactics and a personnel exchange during the week to help “develop relationships” between the two navies, according to the US military statement. At least five countries — the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei — have overlapping claims in the highly-strategic waters. (IANS)

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