South China Sea tensions: U.S. holds naval drills [Video]

The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday.

Military forces sunk a “mock” enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker – using airstrikes and high-precision rockets.

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Video shows U.S. and Filipino F-16 and FA-50 fighter jets pummelling the vessel, which was made in China and launched in 2007, while naval and ground forces targeted it with anti-ship missiles.

It was sunk just over 15 kilometres from the coast of Laoag, which is off the northern part of Philippines’ Ilocos Norte province.

Growing tensions in South China Sea

The drills, which involve nearly 16,000 Filipino and American troops, come at a time of escalating tensions in the South China Sea – particularly between China and the Philippines.

They also come just a week after a pair Chinese coast guard ships hit a Philippine coast guard vessel with …