Nearly 17,000 Filipino and American troops began a three-week joint combat training exercise in the Philippines on) involving maritime drills in the South China Sea where Manila and Beijing have sparred over maritime borders.
France and Australia, which have ramped up defence ties with Philippines in the face of China’s aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea, will join the maritime exercises to be conducted for the first time outside Philippine territorial waters.
The annual Balikatan or “shoulder-to-shoulder” drills, which will run from April 22 to May 10, come amid an escalating diplomatic row and maritime encounters between the Philippines and China including the use of water cannon and heated verbal exchanges.
Meanwhile, China says it is committed to resolving maritime disputes with other countries through dialogue but will not allow itself to be abused.
The sea should not be an arena where countries can flex their military force or engage in “gunboat diplomacy”, added Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and China’s second-highest-ranking military official.
(With inputs from Reuters)
