US, Philippines begin military exercises

About 8,000 US and Filipino troops began annual military exercises yesterday against a backdrop of tension over China's greater assertiveness in the South China Sea though a Philippine commander played that down as the reason for the drills.

Over the next two weeks, the allies will test their command-and-control, communications, logistics and mobility procedures to address humanitarian and maritime security, Philippine defence officials said.

Their troops will also simulate retaking an oil-and-gas platform and practice an amphibious landing on a Philippine beach.

"The Balikatan exercise is designed not to address a particular concern but the whole lump in the spectrum of warfare," Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez, the Philippine military's exercise director, told a news conference. "China is not part of the idea."

Ash Carter, will be the first US defence secretary to observe the exercises when he arrives next week, underscoring the significance of the war games for both countries. China's more assertive pursuit of its claims in the South China Sea over the past year or so has included land reclamation and the construction of air and port facilities on some isles and reefs.

The United States has conducted what it calls "freedom of navigation" patrols in the area, sailing near disputed islands controlled by China to underscore its right to navigate the seas.