U.S.-Led Pacific Drill Draws In 25 Nations Including PH

A massive global naval drill led by the US Navy has begun in the Pacific, with 25 additional nations taking part, according to Kyodo News.

Photo Insert: Ships of Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (ABECSG) sail in formation with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Royal Australian Navy ships en route to the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC)

According to the US Navy, US allies in the Indo-Pacific area, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines, will begin participating in the biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise, regarded as the world's largest naval training, on Wednesday.

The RIMPAC drill begins at a time when China is maintaining military pressure on Taiwan.

Beijing regards the self-ruled democratic island as part of its territory to be reunified, and it is asserting its territorial claims in the East and South China seas more aggressively.

The US Congress encouraged President Joe Biden to invite Taiwan to the drill as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022, which was passed in December.

However, he deferred any action in order to prevent worsening relations with China.

China participated in RIMPAC in 2014 and 2016, but has not done so since 2018, when US-China relations deteriorated during former US President Donald Trump's administration, with conflicts ranging from trade and technology to human rights issues in Hong Kong and the far-western Xinjiang Province.

Some European countries, notably the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, are also taking part. The nations' commitment in the Indo-Pacific has increased, with Britain shipping a carrier strike group led by the Queen Elizabeth last year, and France, Germany, and the Netherlands also sending similar naval vessels to the region.

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