China will hold naval exercises in the South China Sea on Saturday despite warnings from the West against raising tensions in the region. In a move aimed at countering China’s increasing assertiveness in the contested waters, the Philippine Navy said it has begun using Subic Bay facing the South China Sea as a naval base. One of the Philippine Navy’s two guided-missile frigates was deployed at the new base on Tuesday, about 30 years after the US Navy withdrew from the strategic area.

China sets SCS drills amid regional tensions. (2022, May 28). Manila Standard, pp. A1-A2.