Australia said it would continue scheduled live-fire naval exercises with China, even after close ally the United States sent a warship into disputed South China Sea waters this week. On Tuesday, Washington sent its USS Lassen destroyer within 12 nautical miles of small artificial islands in the South China Sea claimed by Beijing and vowed to send more, sparking fury in China. The disputed waters - claimed in part by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and others - have become the stage for a burgeoning tussle between the world's two largest economic and military powers as they struggle for regional dominance.

Australia plans Chinese naval exercise in disputed seas.(2015, October 30). Panay News, p. 11.