Sharjah 24 – AFP: The Philippines and the United States launched the largest-ever joint military drills in the archipelago nation on Monday, signalling deepening defence ties as fresh tensions surface in the disputed South China Sea.
The war games are the last under outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, who previously threatened to cancel exercises and axe a key military deal with longtime ally the United States as he pivoted towards China.
Nearly 9,000 Filipino and American soldiers will take part in the 12-day training event across the main island of Luzon, which is usually an annual affair but was cancelled or curtailed during the pandemic.
Philippine military chief General Andres Centino said at the opening ceremony in Manila that the largest round of the Balikatan war games reflected the "deepening alliance" between the two countries.
US Major General Jay Bargeron said the "friendship and trust" between their respective armed forces would allow them to "succeed together across the entire spectrum of military operations".
The exercises will cover maritime security, amphibious operation, live-fire training and counterterrorism, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Recent manoeuvres between the two countries focused on potential conflict in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.
On the eve of the joint drills, the Philippine Coast Guard accused its Chinese counterpart of steering one of its ships within metres of a Filipino patrol boat near the disputed Scarborough Shoal -- a flashpoint between the two countries.
That came weeks after Manila confronted Beijing's ambassador over a Chinese navy ship "lingering" in the Philippines' archipelagic waters.
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to media requests for comment on the war games.
But on the Scarborough Shoal incident, China's foreign ministry on Monday urged the Philippine ships to "earnestly respect China's sovereignty" over the area.
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