Thousands of US and Filipino troops launched joint Kamandag exercises in the northern and western Philippines. This follows China’s recent military drills around Taiwan and a collision between Chinese and Filipino vessels in the South China Sea.

Thousands of US and Filipino marines launched 10 days of joint exercises in the northern and western Philippines on Tuesday, a day after China held huge drills around Taiwan. The joint US-Filipino exercises come amid a series of escalating confrontations between China and the Philippines over reefs and waters in the South China Sea,