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US, Philippines Agree to Resume Joint South China Sea Patrols

A Philippine coast guard ship sails past a Chinese coastguard ship during a joint Philippine and US excercise. in 2019.

A Philippine coast guard ship sails past a Chinese coastguard ship during a joint Philippine and US excercise. in 2019.

Photographer: Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images

The US and the Philippines have agreed to resume joint patrols in the South China Sea amid lingering tensions with China in the disputed waters.

The decision was reached during Thursday’s meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez, where they also exchanged views “on shared regional security challenges in the Indo-Pacific,” according to a Feb. 2 readout from the Pentagon published on its website.