France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and accompanying warships were in the Philippines on Sunday after holding combat drills with Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea in a show of firepower that would likely antagonize China.

The visit of France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, follows joint combat drills with Filipino forces, a move likely to antagonise China.

Rising tensions in the South China Sea have made freedom of navigation exercises "even more important," France's