The Philippines and the US have launched their largest-ever joint military drills in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
The annual exercises, dubbed Balikatan, or "shoulder to shoulder" in Filipino, began on April 11 and will go on till April 28. The Balikatan drills will see nearly 18,000 soldiers take part in the drills, including a live-fire exercise on a sunken ship.
The drills come at a time when Manila and Washington are seeking to counter growing Chinese assertiveness in the region. The wargames come a day after China concluded three days of combat drills, which saw PLA simulate “sealing off” Taiwan.
The joint exercise is seen as the latest display of American military might in the Asia Pacific region.
Watch this video to know how China has reacted to the latest military drills by the US!
Source - Crux/Youtube