US and Philippines conduct joint military drills in South China Sea to counter China.
US and Philippine forces conducted a military exercise in the South China Sea, firing on a mock enemy warship. The Balikatan drills involve over 17,600 military personnel and are the largest such exercises ever conducted by the two longtime treaty allies. The exercises come amid rising tensions with China, which claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea. The Philippines has sought to develop closer ties with the US under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who has granted increased access to US forces to bases in the archipelago.