The Philippines and three Western allies kicked off two days of operations in the South China Sea to uphold “the rules-based order.” China launched its own patrols around the Scarborough Shoal.
The Philippines, the United States, Canada and Australia jointly staged naval and air exercises in the South China Sea on Wednesday, as Beijing launched its own patrols in the region.
The South China Sea is disputed between China and the Philippines, as well as Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
The conflict has reached a flashpoint between Beijing and Manila in recent months, with a number of collisions and confrontations occurring on the water.
In Chinese it’s literally just the “South Sea” (南海), so I am not even sure who first stuck “China” on the name. I am guessing probably explorers from other countries who couldn’t just call it the “South Sea” because it’s only south of one particular place.