US, Australia, Canada and Philippines launch joint military exercise in South China Sea

The United States, Australia, Canada and the Philippines launched on Wednesday their first joint military exercise in the South China Sea to enhance inter-operability among their forces.

The two-day exercise, which will involve naval and air force units, is the first among the four countries, and follows the first Philippines-Japan joint exercise in the disputed South China Sea last week.

The four countries vowed to "uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight," and other uses of the sea and international airspace allowed under international law.

"Demonstrating our collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, our combined armed forces will conduct a Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone on August 7 and 8, 2024," they said in a joint statement.

The statement added that the drills would be conducted in a "manner that is consistent with international law and with due regard to the safety of navigation and the rights and interests of other States