The US and EU intimidated China by holding joint exercise

"On 23 and 24 March 2023, the European Union and the US held a joint naval exercise as agreed at the EU-US High Level Consultation meeting on 2 December 2022," the US State Department said in a statement.

It was stated that the American warship USS Paul Hamilton, the Spanish ship Reina Sofia connected to the EU Navy Atalanta Operation, and the Italian ship Carlo Bergamini participated in the exercise, and trainings aimed at improving shipboarding procedures, ship navigation and integration were carried out in the exercise.

The statement, which did not include where the exercise was held, was noted as follows:

"The exercise is part of the joint commitments of the EU and the US on applied maritime cooperation aimed at promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, in line with documents such as the EU Strategic Compass, the EU Indo-Pacific Cooperation Strategy and the US Indo-Pacific Strategy. The EU reaffirm that they will further joint work and coordination for maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and will endeavor to promote the use of the seas in accordance with international law."

It is stated that the main goal of the exercise is to oppose China within the scope of great power competition in the Pacific region.