A US aircraft carrier visited the Philippines on Tuesday, the third such call in four months, as its commander cited America’s “enduring presence” in a region where China’s military aims have raised tensions, Channel News Asia reports. China has carried out drills in the South China Sea to simulate fending off an aerial attack, in the latest show of military muscle amid rising tensions between Beijing and Washington over the strategic waterway, the South China Morning Post reports quoting Chinese state media, PLA Daily. US Defense Secretary James Mattis landed in Beijing Tuesday with plans to meet with both state and military leaders, according to Fortune. This trip, the first made by a US defense secretary in four years, comes as trade and military tensions with the Asian superpower are mounting.