Philippines, U.S. to hold biggest war games in years
since 2015, Manila’s army chief said Wednesday, against a backdrop of growing tensions with China in the South China Sea.and come as the Philippines condemns China’s “aggressive” actions in the disputed waterway, including its use of a “military-grade laser” against one of Manila’s vessels earlier this month.
The annual “Balikatan” exercises will be conducted in the second quarter and involve more than the previous year’s 8,900 troops, army chief Romeo Brawner told reporters. “All of these exercises that we are doing are in response to all types of threats that we may be facing in the future, both man-made and natural,” Brawner said.
Marcos on Tuesday summoned China’s ambassador to express “serious concern” over the intensity and frequency of China’s activities in the South China Sea, most of which China claims as its territory.China’s use of a laser against a Philippine vessel on Feb. 6, which its foreign ministry insists was legal, has sparked expressions of concern and support from Australia, Japan and the United States.
The Philippines has granted Washington greater access to its military bases as part of the latter’s efforts to deter China’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea and tension over self-ruled Taiwan.“The exercises will involve a myriad of activities, not just focused on developing the warfighting capability of both armed forces, but also of the other non-traditional roles such as humanitarian assistance and disaster response,” Brawner said.
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