Baghdad-INA
Thousands of Filipino and American forces begin joint military exercises in the Philippines on Monday, at a time when Beijing’s growing influence in the region raises fears of a conflict.
The annual exercises, called “Balikatan” or “Together” in the Filipino Tagalog language, will be concentrated in the northern and western parts of the archipelago, near disputed sites in the South China Sea and Taiwan.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire area of this sea, and considers Taiwan part of its territory.
Other countries, including the Philippines, claim sovereignty over parts of the sea where the United States conducts regular patrols.
In response to growing Chinese influence, the United States has strengthened its alliances with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Philippines.
Philippine Colonel Michael Logico told reporters before the exercises, “The purpose of the armed forces, and the reason for our existence, is to prepare for war.” He added, “There is no sugarcoating the matter… For us, not being prepared is a disservice to the country.”
The Philippine Coast Guard will join Balikatan for the first time after several encounters between their ships and the Chinese Coast Guard, which patrols coral reefs off the coast of the Philippines.
The Balikatan exercises will include a simulation of regaining control of an island off the western province of Palawan, near the South China Sea.
The maneuvers themselves will be held in the northern provinces of Cagayan and Batanes, both less than 300 kilometers (180 miles) from Taiwan.
Like last year, the exercise will include sinking a ship off the northern province of Ilocos Norte, hundreds of kilometers from Taiwan.
Other training will include information warfare, maritime security, and integrated air and missile defence.
The United States has deployed its Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) guided missiles in the Philippines in preparation for Balikatan, but Logico said that these weapons will not be used in the exercises.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry accused the United States of “inflaming the military confrontation,” calling on the Philippines to “stop sliding down the wrong path.”
2024-04-23 06:35:38