Warships from the U.S., Japan, and Australia have reportedly conducted joint drills in defiance of Beijing in the waters of the South China Sea. Beijing claims its sovereignty over the strategic waterway. The guided-missile destroyer John Finn, as well as the combat ship Gabrielle Giffords, conducted operations alongside naval vessels from Australia and Japan on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the U.S. 7th Fleet, which is in charge of the majority of U.S. naval activities in the area.
The...