US and Philippine forces sink a ship during largescale drills in the disputed South China Sea

By JIM GOMEZ and AARON FAVILA
Associated Press

LAOAG, Philippines (AP) — U.S. and Philippine forces, backed by an Australian air force surveillance aircraft, have unleashed a barrage of high-precision rockets, artillery fire and airstrikes and sank a mock enemy ship as part of largescale war drills in and near the disputed South China Sea that have antagonized Beijing. Military officials and diplomats watched the display of firepower from a hilltop on Wednesday. Washington and Beijing have been on a collision course over China’s increasingly assertive actions to defend its vast territorial claims in the South China Sea. Last year, the Philippines approved a wider U.S. military presence in the archipelago. China opposed the move, which puts U.S. forces across the sea from Taiwan. The Philippines countered it has the right to defend its sovereignty.