US, Vietnam rip China for military drills in disputed waters

The US, Vietnam and the Philippines have ripped China for provocative military drills in disputed waters of the South China Sea. China is in the midst of five days of drills that began Wednesday near the Paracel Islands, a disputed archipelago that is also claimed by Vietnam, the South China Morning Post reported Friday. China calls the Paracels the Xisha Islands, while Vietnam refers to them as the Hoang Sa Islands, and the two sides engaged in a Naval battle in 1974 over the islands that resulted in China claiming ownership. ࢀœThe military exercises are the latest in a long…