2 Chinese navy ships head to Singapore for joint drills

BEIJING (AP) — China’s military has dispatched a pair of navy ships to take part in joint drills with Singapore’s navy and join in a regional maritime security exhibition. The exercises starting Friday in the Southeast Asian city state come amid China’s growing presence in the South China Sea, which it claims sovereignty over virtually in its entirety. Concerns are especially pronounced in the U.S., which on Wednesday joined with forces from the Philippines in major exercises in Philippine waters facing the South China Sea. Chinese state television’s military channel identified the ships being sent as the guided missile frigate Yulin and the minesweeper hunter Chibi. Singapore has sought a balance between rival powers China and the U.S. but remains officially unallied.