France sends warships to South China Sea to participate in combined military exercise

France has sent two Navy ships to the Pacific to take part in joint exercises with Quad countries. According to the website Naval News, a Mistral-class LHD 'Tonnerre' and a La Fayette-class frigate 'Surcouf' left the Toulon naval base in France on Thursday morning. The ships are expected to sail through the South China Sea twice during their voyage. As per the French Navy, the exercise is not just a training mission but an operational deployment part of the country's strategic interest in the Indo-Pacific region. 

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Step up presence in Indo-Pacific

The French Navy ships will participate in naval exercises with its partner countries, including India, Japan, Australia, and the United States. This comes amid France's move to increase its presence in the Indo-Pacific. Earlier this month, France deployed a nuclear-capable submarine in the region to back United States President Joe Biden's call of multilateral response to China's assertiveness. 

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"This extraordinary patrol has just completed a passage in the South China Sea. A striking proof of the capacity of our French Navy to deploy far and for a long time in connection with our Australian, American and Japanese strategic partners," French Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Twitter. 

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The latest mission launched by France will see the two ships sail through the Mediterranean Sea, entering the Red Sea followed by the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian ocean, South China Sea before reaching Japan. The two ships will make stops at Port Safaga in Egypt, Wakri in Djibouti, Cochin in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, twice in Japan before returning back to France in July. 

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(Image Credit: AP)