A US Navy ship (Illustration: US Army).
The United States and the European Union concluded a two-day joint naval exercise on March 24, the first of its kind between the two sides, as they step up cooperation to counter China’s growing influence in the region.
"The exercise is part of the EU and US shared commitment to practical maritime cooperation and to supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific region," the US State Department said in a statement.
The exercise took place from March 23-24 at an undisclosed location, with naval exchanges aimed at improving interoperability between forces. The exercise involved three ships from the US, Spain and Italy.
The US and EU said the joint exercise took place as part of patrols and freedom of navigation exercises conducted by both sides.
The US regularly conducts freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) in the Indo- Pacific , including the South China Sea.
The decision to hold a joint US-EU exercise was agreed upon at the third bilateral consultation on the Indo -Pacific held in Washington in December 2022.
During the event, the two sides held a high-level meeting on China, in which they expressed concern about "Beijing's unilateral actions in the East and South China Seas" and "expansive maritime claims inconsistent with international law".
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