The large-scale war drills have antagonised Beijing as tensions escalate in the South China Sea.
US and Philippine forces, backed by an Australian air force surveillance aircraft, have unleashed a barrage of high-precision rockets, artillery fire and airstrikes and sank a mock enemy ship as part of largescale war drills in and near the
It's the latest indication of how the United States and the Philippines have bolstered a defence treaty alliance that started in the 1950s amid their concern in recent years over China's increasingly aggressive actions in disputed territories in Asia. "We don't have the wherewithal to be able to fight all of this bullying coming from China so where else will we go?" Romualdez said.
The Philippines has repeatedly cited a 2016 international arbitration ruling based on the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea that invalidated China's claim over virtually the entire South China Sea on historical grounds. The target ship was made in China but decommissioned by the Philippine navy in 2020 due to mechanical and electrical issues, according to the Philippine military.China has opposed military drills involving US forces as well as increasing US military deployments in the region, which it warned would escalate tensions and endanger regional stability.
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