Philippines, US begin ‘Balikatan’ exercise in South China Sea

• The United States and the Philippines have begun their largest-ever military drills known as the ‘Balikatan’ in the South China Sea.

• More than 17,600 members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the US military are participating in the annual bilateral exercise between the two allies and the largest iteration of Balikatan to date.

• This year marks the 38th iteration of the exercise, incorporating training activities throughout the Philippines.

• The long-scheduled drills got underway as China ended three days of war games around Taiwan, which included precision strikes and blockading the island.

• Beijing views Taiwan as its own territory, while the democratically governed island rejects its claims.

• Balikatan is a Tagalog term that means “shoulder-to-shoulder” or “sharing the load together,” which characterises the spirit of the exercise and the alliance between the Philippines and the US.

• For the first time, the Philippines and the US will hold live-fire drills at sea during the three-week event.

• The US and Filipino forces will sink a target ship in the Philippine territorial waters off the western province of Zambales on April 26, in a coordinated inland and coastal artillery bombardment and airstrike.

• The drills, which will be carried out in different parts  of the country, will also include training in amphibious operations, aviation operations, cyber defence, urban operations, counter-terrorism and humanitarian and disaster relief.

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