US Marines from Company B along with their Philippine counterparts take position along a beach as they simulate boat raids during the annual joint Philippine-US military exercise, at a marine base in Ternate town, Cavite province, southwest of Manila yesterday.
DPA/Manila
China yesterday joined for the first time an activity during joint military training exercises between the Philippines and the US, officials said.
Two Chinese maritime security experts participated in a maritime disaster table-top drill held as part of the annual exercises.
“We are happy that China is here so that they could participate and we could have more discussions on how to appropriately address disasters, especially maritime ones,” Philippine military spokesman Major Emmanuel Garcia said.
The maritime disaster drill also included the participation of Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea, and Vietnam.
Participants examined several disaster scenarios at sea and possible responses, Brigadier General Aurelio Baladad, Philippine military deputy chief for operations, said.
“We discussed how we should respond with a multinational approach to various disaster scenarios in high-traffic international waters,” he said.
China has previously opposed the exercises for allegedly raising tensions in the disputed South China Sea, where Beijing and Manila have overlapping territorial claims.
The Philippines has lodged an arbitration case against China before the UN and has filed numerous protests against Chinese intrusions and harassments in the disputed areas.