Canada joins effort to counter China with Asian warship drills

A crew member is seen on the deck of the Royal Canadian Navy's Halifax-class frigate HMCS Calgary (FFH335) at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka, Japan November 7, 2018. Picture taken November 7, 2018. REUTERS/Issei Kato

YOKOSUKA (Reuters) - Built to hunt Russian submarines, Canadian frigate HMCS Calgary is instead chasing Japanese and U.S. subs in western Pacific drills as Canada joins other maritime nations in seeking to contain Chinese influence in the Indo Pacific.

"The expectation is to see one, if not two ships, on a year round basis doing a variety of things with a variety of partners in the region," Commander Blair Saltel, the captain of Calgary, said in Yokosuka, Japan.