Tense naval stand-off in the South China Sea
A tense standoff between Philippine naval vessels and Chinese marine surveillance ships is currently unfolding in the South China Sea. - On April 16, US troops will be conducting joint war games with the Philippines in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. The exercises are pointedly targeted at China and involve the storming of oil rigs. The annual war games will include 4,500 US and 2,300 Philippine troops. Usually only involving Manila and Washington, this year’s joint exercises have been expanded to include forces from Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia, South Korea and Japan. If the standoff is not resolved in the next two days, these war games will be conducted while Philippine and Chinese vessels sit within gunshot of each other. During a meeting in Washington on April 4, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen reached an agreement for the United States to deploy more of its littoral combat ships to Singapore. All these moves on Washington’s part are designed to encircle and contain China.