PH, US conduct exercises near China-held reef

It would have been another typical war game between American and Filipino troops. Last Sunday, over 6,000 Philippine and United States marines carried out a military exercise on a Philippine beach. Except that the games are being done near a disputed reef occupied by Chinese ships which has become a potential regional flashpoint. The exercise took place near a naval outpost on Zambales on Luzon island, 220 kilometers (137 miles) east of the disputed Scarborough Shoal on the South China Sea. The shoal, a traditionally-rich fishing ground, has been effectively taken over by China. US and Filipino spokesmen downplay the link to China’s growing restiveness in the region.

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