The Philippine military has opened two weeks of combat drills that will include seizing an island in the disputed South China Sea and likely be frowned upon by China.
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More than 3,000 Filipino army, navy and air force personnel will take part in the manoeuvres, which Philippine military officials said were not directed against any country.
China has rapidly expanded its military and has become increasingly assertive in pursuing territorial claims in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. The tensions have led to more frequent confrontations, primarily with the Philippines and Vietnam, though the long-time territorial disputes also involve Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Taiwan.
Last month, Indonesia said its patrol ships drove away a Chinese coastguard ship that disrupted a survey being undertaken by a state-owned energy company in a part of the South China Sea disputed by both countries.
“Our mission today is very clear, to prepare ourselves comprehensively to respond to any external threats that might challenge our sovereignty,” Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Romeo Brawner Jnr said in the opening ceremony of the exercises on Monday.
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History, money and military: why the South China Sea is so important to Beijing
History, money and military: why the South China Sea is so important to Beijing
The manoeuvres will include live-fire drills using artillery and assault rifles and beach landing drills. In the South China Sea, Filipino forces would simulate taking control of an island, Philippine army Colonel Michael Logico told reporters without elaborating.