Author: CNA

The US and the Philippines launched the largest and most expensive iteration of their annual joint military exercises today. More than 16,000 Filipino and American soldiers are taking part in the drills dubbed Balikatan, or “shoulder to shoulder”. This comes a little more than a week after the historic trilateral summit between the US, Philippines and Japan. China has accused the Philippines of stoking tensions through Balikatan exercises, but officials have insisted that the exercises are inclusive. Buena Bernal reports. source

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ASEAN military forces have begun their first-ever joint drills near Indonesia’s Riau Islands in the southern reaches of the South China Sea. This, amid rising tensions with Beijing over China’s claim to the waterway. Hundreds of troops from the 10-country bloc are involved in the five-day ASEAN Solidarity Exercise. The group had previously conducted joint exercises with other countries — including the US and China — but this is the first time members are staging drills among themselves. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram – https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp – https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us:…