US and Philippines hold biggest joint military drills

The United States is due to hold its own military exercises with Philippine troops next month, according to a statement from the Pentagon. The scheduled event comes just days after China finished its own series of military drills near Taiwan.

The joint U.S.-Philippine exercises are part of the annual Balikatan military training exercises, which began in 1981. This year, the drills will reportedly be scaled down and will involve about 225 U.S. soldiers and about 4,000 Philippine troops. The exercises take place both on land and at sea and typically include amphibious landings, live-fire exercises, and urban combat simulations.

The upcoming exercises in the Philippines come as tensions continue to rise in the Asia-Pacific region. China claims Taiwan as part of its own territory and regularly sends military aircraft and ships to patrol the area. Last week, China concluded three days of large-scale drills around Taiwan, prompting the island’s defense ministry to issue a statement saying it was “fully prepared” to respond to any threat from China.

The U.S. has long been a staunch ally of Taiwan and has stepped up its military presence in the region in recent years. The U.S. Navy regularly conducts freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, which China claims as its own territory. The U.S. and China have also been engaged in a protracted trade war, and tensions between the two nations have spilled over into military and diplomatic spheres.

As the U.S. and its allies continue to conduct military exercises in the region, China has criticized what it sees as an attempt to contain its rise as a global superpower. The U.S. has insisted that its military presence in the region is necessary to maintain stability and security, and to counter threats from North Korea and other potential adversaries. As tensions continue to mount, it remains to be seen how the situation in the Asia-Pacific will unfold.



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