US aircraft carrier makes PH port call

MANILA, Philippines — The nuclear-powered US carrier George Washington arrived off the Philippine capital Thursday for a port visit, as the two allies increase defense cooperation aimed at contesting China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea. The Nimitz-class vessel’s port call came the same day that China’s first domestically produced aircraft carrier, the Shandong, sailed into Hong Kong. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes, despite an international ruling its assertion has no merit. “The US Navy along with our allies and partners are committed…