(Interaksyon) SYDNEY — Australia has a security interest in the South China Sea and will work more closely with the Philippines on joint patrols, Australia’s defense minister, Richard Marles, said on Friday as he observed military exercises.
More than 2,000 Australian and Philippine defense personnel are participating in amphibious landing and air assault drills, with two Australian navy vessels, HMAS Canberra and HMAS ANZAC, conducting bilateral exercises with the Philippine Navy.
The joint exercises, a first for the two nations, come amid renewed tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea.
Marles said in comments to ABC radio that there was a “very significantly growing defense relationship between our two countries” and that Australia wanted more patrols alongside the Philippine Navy… Read More
