BEIJING: The United States Navy and Marine Corps are holding joint exercises in the South China Sea at a time of heightened tensions with Beijing over the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon.
The 7th Fleet based in Japan said Sunday that the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit have been conducting "integrated expeditionary strike force operations" in the South China Sea.
It said exercises involving ships, ground forces and aircraft took place Saturday but gave no details on when they began or whether they had ended.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/02/14/news/national/us-holds-drills-in-south-china-sea-amid-tensions-with-china/1878627