US, Japan, PH forces jointly patrol in South China Sea after hostilities involving China

THE United States deployed a reconnaissance aircraft while Japan and the Philippines sent navy ships in a joint patrol in the disputed South China Sea on Friday, December 6, 2024, two days after the allied forces condemned actions by Chinese coast guard vessels against Philippine patrol ships.
 
The US Indo-Pacific Command said the joint patrol was conducted in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone by allies and partners to “uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight and "other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace."
 
Those phrases are used by the US, Japan and the Philippines to oppose China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed waters.
 
Two Philippine security officials said the patrol was staged about 40 nautical miles (74 kilometers) from Scarborough Shoal, a fishing area hotly disputed by Beijing and Manila off the northwestern Philippines.