The Iranian minister's visit follows a trip to close ally Russia and comes just after the first-ever drills among the navies of the three countries in the northern part of the Indian Ocean.
Your weekly look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons.
Adm. John Richardson, who heads U.S. naval operations, said in a news conference with Philippine military officials in Manila on Monday that such patrols highlight the U.S. position against “illegitimate maritime claims.”
The foreign ministers of Russia and China jointly denounced what they described Thursday as the unilateralism of the United States, criticism that underlined their growing rapport on global issues.
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