US and Philippines holding biggest combat drills in decades after China-Taiwan stand-off

US

The US and the Philippines are holding their largest combat drills in decades after China conducted mock air and sea attacks off the coast of Taiwan.

The pre-planned annual “Balikatan” exercises will involve more than 17,600 military personnel and include live-fire drills such as a boat-sinking rocket assault in waters across the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

It will be the latest display of American firepower in Asia and is likely to further inflame tensions with China, which does not recognise Taiwan’s independence.

A Chinese warship fires during a military drill off the Chinese coast near Fuzhou, Fujian Province, across from the Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands, China, April 11, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
Image:
A Chinese warship fires during a military drill across from the Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands. Pic: Reuters

Chinese warplanes and navy ships remained in the waters around Taiwan on Tuesday following the end of China’s three days of war games, the island’s defence ministry said on Tuesday.

“We are not provoking anybody by simply exercising,” Colonel Michael Logico, a Philippine spokesman for Balikatan, said ahead of the start of the manoeuvres.

“This is actually a form of deterrence”, he added. “Deterrence is when we are discouraging other parties from invading us.”

America’s warships, fighter jets as well as its Patriot missiles, HIMARS rocket launchers and anti-tank Javelins, are to be showcased during the drills, officials say.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

China & Taiwan ships in stand-off

Read more:
China and Taiwan ships in stand-off
Dozens of Chinese fighter jets cross sensitive Taiwan median line

‘Reckless’ US risks conflict – Chinese foreign minister

Field scenarios such as a boat-sinking in Philippine territorial waters are designed to “test the allies’ capabilities in combined arms live-fire, information and intelligence sharing, communications between manoeuvre units, logistics operations, amphibious operations,” the US Embassy in Manila said.

The exercises take place amid a push by Joe Biden‘s administration to strengthen an arc of alliances in the Indo-Pacific to better counter China, including in a possible confrontation over Taiwan.

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a J-15 Chinese fighter jet prepares to take off from the Shandong aircraft carrier during the combat readiness patrol and military exercises around the Taiwan Island by the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday, April 9, 2023. China's military declared Monday it is "ready to fight" after completing three days of large-scale combat exercises around Taiwan that simulated sealing off the island in response to the Taiwanese president's trip to the U.S. last week. (An Ni/Xinhua via AP)
Image:
A J-15 Chinese fighter jet. Pic: AP

Washington has repeatedly warned China over what it sees as its increasingly aggressive actions in the disputed sea channel and against Taiwan.

Relations between the two superpowers were further strained recently after it was revealed that the Chinese spy balloon that flew over the US was able to gather intelligence from several sensitive American military sites.

Products You May Like