The Australian frigate HMAS Parramatta and three US warships arrived this week close to where the Chinese government survey ship Haiyang Dizhi 8 is suspected to be exploring for oil.
A vessel operated by Malaysia’s Petronas state oil company is also operating in the area.
The joint navy exercises were likely planned for months in advance but the show of force comes amid accusations that China is exploiting the Covid-19 crisis to bolster its territorial claims in regional flashpoints.
The Australian frigate HMAS Parramatta and three US warships arrived this week close to where the Chinese government survey ship Haiyang Dizhi 8 is suspected to be exploring for oil.
A vessel operated by Malaysia’s Petronas state oil company is also operating in the area.
The joint navy exercises were likely planned for months in advance but the show of force comes amid accusations that China is exploiting the Covid-19 crisis to bolster its territorial claims in regional flashpoints.
We've now got a good visual on the big space rock that's going to fly by Earth next week.
On Saturday (April 18), the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico captured a radar image of the asteroid 1998 OR2, which will zoom within 3.9 million miles (6.3 million kilometers) of our planet on April 29.
For perspective: The moon orbits Earth at an average distance of about 239,000 miles (385,000 km). So we have nothing to fear from asteroid 1998 OR2's Earth flyby on April 29, scientists stress.