Thousands of US and Filipino troops began one of the largest combat drills in years on Monday (28/3), near the sea border with Taiwan. The possibility could inflame China's wrath.
The US and Philippine military exercises will include direct fire maneuvers, fighter aircraft strikes, urban warfare and beach landings.
The annual Balikatan exercise will run through April 8 and will involve nearly 9,000 troops from the Navy, Marines, Air Force and Army, including 5,100 US military personnel.
China is unlikely to like the war games, given its relative proximity to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. But, the US and the Philippines insist, the drills do not target any specific country.
"The US Military and the Armed Forces of the Philippines will train together to expand and advance shared tactics, techniques and procedures that strengthen our response capabilities and readiness for real-world challenges," said Major General Jay Bargeron, Commander of the US 3rd Marine Division.
"Our alliance remains the main source of strength and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," he said, as quoted by Channel News Asia.
First launched in 1991, the Balikatan military exercises draw on the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which binds the United States and the Philippines to assist each other in the event of an attack.
The agreement aims to strengthen the US-Philippine partnership and prepare for all possible security measures as a deterrent against war. "This is for mutual defense, never for attack," Armed Forces Philippines spokesman Colonel Ramon Zagala told the Associated Press.
But the governor of Cagayan opposes any joint drills using live fire, fearing it could antagonize China. It is planned that an amphibious landing with limited fire maneuvers will be held in Claveria City, Cagayan Province, this week.
"The military consulted and asked me questions, but I said I can't allow live-fire drills. Any drills are okay, but live-fire is not allowed," Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba told the Associated Press.
"We have to involve China, but not in war, because I know Taiwan is a gunpowder keg," he said.
China, along with the US and Taiwan, have expressed interest in investing in Cagayan. "I'm not pro-China, I'm pro-Cagayan," Mamba said.
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