FILE PHOTO of a China Coast Guard vessel fires a water cannon at the BRP Datu Pagbuaya near Thitu Island, in the latest flare-up between Manila and Beijing in the disputed South China Sea. — PCG

BEIJING — China’s military said on Friday it conducted a routine patrol in the South China Sea from February 23 to 26, and accused the Philippines of “disrupting” peace and stability by organizing joint patrols with countries outside the region.

The military’s Southern Theatre Command will “resolutely safeguard China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and firmly uphold regional peace and stability,” spokesperson Zhai Shichen said in a statement.

The navies of the Philippines, the US, and Japan trained alongside each other in the South China Sea this week to ramp up cooperation among the military allies, the Philippines’ armed forces said on Friday. — Reuters

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