Philippines to hold joint naval drills with U.S., Japan, Australia to counter China
President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday denounced as “bizarre and threatening” Russia’s tone following rare phone talks between the Defence Ministers of France and Russia, their first contact since 2022.
On Wednesday, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu reached out to his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu, saying France was ready to step up exchanges to battle “terrorism”, according to the French Defence Ministry.
The phone call took place as France is pulling out all the stops to host the Olympic Games in Paris.
Russia for its part warned France during the talks it hoped that the French Secret Services had not been involved in a recent attack on a concert hall in Moscow, according to a readout from the Russian Defence Ministry.
“The comments by the Russian side were bizarre and threatening,” Mr. Macron told reporters, adding that any suggestions France might have been involved in the deadly attack were “ridiculous”.
Any suggestions France might have been involved in the deadly attack were ‘ridiculous’, he said
The Philippines will hold joint naval drills with the United States, Japan and Australia, two diplomatic sources said on Thursday, as the four countries deepen military ties to counter China’s expanding influence in the AsiaPacific region.
The exercise will be held on April 7 in the disputed South China Sea — which Beijing claims almost entirely — days before U.S. President Joe Biden is due to hold the first trilateral summit with the leaders of the Philippines and Japan.
The diplomatic sources
Philippine and Australian soldiers march during the military exercise Alon, held at a naval base north of Manila in 2023.
spoke on condition of anonymity because the drills have not yet been officially announced.
Earlier this week, the Australian warship HMAS Warramunga arrived at the Philippine island province
of Palawan, which faces the hotly contested waters.
The Philippine military said the visit was “aimed at strengthening military relations with partner nations”.
Regional tensions have escalated in the past year as China has become increasingly confident in asserting its claims over waters also claimed by the Philippines and Japan, as well as over selfruled Taiwan.
In response, the United States has sought to strengthen its alliances in the region, including with treaty allies Japan and the Philippines.
Mr. Biden’s planned April 11 summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House will be the latest in a series of meetings with AsiaPacific partners.