China Warns: "US-Philippines Military Drills Are a Unilateral Alliance... Invite Trouble Upon Themselves"

'Balikatan' Exercise Begins Amid Rising Tensions in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait
Over 17,000 Troops Participating

Yonhap News

The Chinese government has strongly objected to the annual joint military exercises between the United States and the Philippines, describing them as a “unilateral alliance.”

On April 20, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jia-kun stated during a regular briefing, “Unilaterally forming alliances in the security sector will ultimately invite trouble and prove self-destructive. What the Asia-Pacific region needs is peace and stability, not the involvement of external forces that promote division and confrontation.”

He further emphasized, “Military and security cooperation between countries should not undermine mutual understanding and trust within the region, nor should it target any third country.”

According to foreign media reports, the United States and the Philippines began their annual joint exercise, Balikatan, the previous day, and U.S. forces reportedly transited the Taiwan Strait as part of the drills.

This exercise is scheduled to last for about three weeks and will feature both simulated and live-fire training in disputed areas of the South China Sea and regions adjacent to the Taiwan Strait.

The United States has maintained military cooperation in the region through joint exercises with its allies even after withdrawing from the Philippines in 1998. Recently, these efforts are increasingly seen as aimed at counterbalancing China.

In particular, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea are key disputed areas where China is engaged in sovereignty conflicts with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei, and tensions between China and the Philippines have been escalating.

This year’s exercise includes the participation of allied nations such as Japan, France, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with a total deployment of more than 17,000 troops.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.