China's Shandong, which is the second largest aircraft carrier, was on course to converge with over 20 other Chinese warships. The exercise took place in the waters between Taiwan, the Philippines and the US Pacific territory of Guam.
"This latest attempt to legitimize China's purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," a statement by the Philippines government read.
Biden and his administration's seemingly absolute tone on Taiwan has angered China on several occasions. This has put US diplomats in a difficult position as Biden's statements (on Taiwan) have often been viewed by experts as breaching the long-held US policy of "strategic ambiguity".
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry reiterated that it will “fight to defend and protect the home together”. This response comes after multiple Chinese aircraft were detected encircling Taiwan.
For an aspiring Prime Minister to confuse two totally different countries and try to claim that they are the same country is really sad. Geography can be a difficult subject for many and a lot of kids struggle to memorise the names of countries, rivers and their locations. We understand.
The Republican senators led by Marco Rubio wrote in their letter to Antony Blinken, "Chinese Communist Party has stepped up its attack in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond."