A US soldier looks at a guided missile destroyer to participate the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Train CARAT in the Sulu Sea June 28th this year. Photo: news.cn
United States Marines will conduct joint military exercises with Philippine troops in the Philippines on Monday, with one of the exercise sites in Palawan close to the South China Sea area, the China News Service reported on Sunday.
Monday's annual RP-US Amphibious Landing Exercise (Phiblex) is the 28th such joint exercise between the two countries' military forces, which will involve combined training between US forces and the Marine Corps of the Philippines.
It will be the first time such exercises to take place in Palawan. According to Philippine media reports, the exercise will last till the end of this month.
In late June this year, the two countries' militaries conducted an 11-day Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Train (CARAT) in the Sulu Sea, involving seven naval vessels and some 1,300 officers and soldiers.
The Sulu Sea to the south of Palawan is less than 100 sea miles away from China's Nansha Islands in South China Sea over which the Philippines also claims sovereignty.
However, the Philippine navy downplayed the military drill, stating that it had nothing to do with the South China Sea issues.
The spokesperson of the Marine Corps of the Philippines said that Palawan has met all the training requirements and is a good exercise venue for territorial defense, according to Manila-based news website inquirer.net report.
According to a statement released by the Marine Corps of the Philippines, this year's Phiblex will focus on disaster response preparedness, community development and humanitarian assistance projects, in order to strengthen coordination and combat readiness between the Philippine and US militaries.
The 4th Marine Battalion, field artillery battalion, in-shore boat battalion, assault armor battalion and the Marine Corps Training Center will participate on the Philippine side; On the US side will be the Okinawa-based 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, inquirer.net quoted a Philippine military spokesperson as saying. .
The spokesperson didn't disclose the actual number of US troops participating in Monday's drill.
Meanwhile, other neighboring countries have also become further involved in South China Sea issues. On Friday, the Japanese and Indonesian foreign ministers proposed to create a multilateral framework to help resolve maritime conflicts in the South China Sea, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported.
India and Vietnam also inked an accord on October 12 to promote oil exploration in South China Sea, where Hanoi claims sovereignty over several islands.