U.S., Philippines share concerns over Chinese vessels in S. China Sea

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin on Thursday expressed "shared concerns" over the massing of Chinese "maritime militia vessels" in the South China Sea, the U.S. State Department said.The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said the same day that its aircraft and ships, such as the nuclear-powered Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, conducted exercises in the South China Sea on Friday local time "in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific."During their telephone talks, Blinken reaffirmed the applicability of the U.S.-Philippine mutual defense treaty t…READ FULL ARTICLE