Thousands of marines from the United States and the Philippines began a series of joint exercises in the north and west of the Philippine territory, which will take place for ten days.
The exercises, known as Kamandag or Venom, aim to strengthen the defense of the northern coast of Luzon, the main island of the Philippines, 800 kilometers from Taiwan.
Among the main maneuvers are live fire drills on said coast, as well as small Philippine islands between Luzon and Taiwanese territory.
Before the beginning of these activities, China, which considers Taiwan as part of its territory and does not rule out using force to recover it, described the maneuvers as a “warning” to the “separatist” forces that administer the island.
However, Arturo Rojas, commander of the Philippine Marine Corps, stressed that the exercises had been planned for a long time and that “they have nothing to do with what is happening in the region.”