U.S.-led naval drill in Pacific starts without China

A major U.S. Navy-led drill involving 26 countries but without China has begun off Hawaii, Japanese officials said Friday, amid lingering tensions between Washington and Beijing over the South China Sea.The Rim of the Pacific exercise, also known as RIMPAC, will run through Aug. 2, during which Japan and the United States will conduct their first joint ground-to-ship battle training.In the training in July, on the assumption that a hulk floating about 100 kilometers from Kauai Island is an enemy ship, Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol aircraft will collect information, while the Gr…READ FULL ARTICLE