Tuesday marked the beginning of ten days of joint exercises by thousands of US and Filipino marines in the northern and western parts of the Philippines. The previous day, China held massive drills all around Taiwan.
The goal of the annual Kamandag, or Venom, exercises is to protect the north coast of Luzon, the Philippines’ main island, which is about 800 kilometers from Taiwan.
Taiwan is considered part of China’s territory, and Beijing has stated that it will never rule out using force to take the island, describing Monday’s drills as a “stern warning” to “separatist” forces.
The joint exercises between the US and the Philippines take place in the midst of escalating disputes between China and the Philippines over reefs and waters in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims nearly entirely.
Major-General Arturo Rojas, commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps, emphasized at the opening ceremony on Tuesday in Manila that Kamandag was planned for a long time and had “nothing to do with whatever is happening in the region.”
Live-fire exercises along Luzon’s north coast will be the primary focus of the drills, with other activities taking place on the tiny Philippine islands between Taiwan and Luzon.
It is a doctrine for coastal defense. According to Filipino exercise director Brigadier-General Vicente Blanco, “the doctrine says that a would-be aggressor may be directed toward our territory.” Blanco spoke to reporters.
“We are not practicing to join the battle (about Taiwan),” he added.
The exercises, according to US Marines representative Colonel Stuart Glenn, were intended to assist the United States and its allies in responding to “any crisis or contingencies.”
A portion of the exercises will also be held on Palawan, an island in the western Philippines that faces the disputed South China Sea.
A smaller number of forces from Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom are also participating, with the Philippines and the United States each fielding slightly more than a thousand participants.
A press kit stated that an amphibious landing and training on how to defend against chemical and biological warfare were also planned.
The government of the Philippines announced before the start of the war games on Tuesday that one of its civilian patrol vessels had suffered minor damage on October 11 when it was “deliberately sideswiped” by a “Chinese Maritime Militia” vessel.
According to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the collision, which left a dent in the front right section of the BRP Datu Cabaylo, occurred approximately 9.3 kilometers from Thitu, a Spratly group island occupied by the Philippines.
The statement stated that the crew was unharmed and completed their routine maritime patrol mission after sailing the vessel to Thitu.
Beijing has for quite a long time looked to grow its presence in challenged region of the ocean, disregarding a global decision that its case to a large portion of the stream has no legitimate premise.
In recent months, China has sent coast guard and military vessels to try to drive the Philippines from three other strategically important reefs and islands in the South China Sea.
