US-Philippines-Japan Conduct Large-Scale War Drills, China Furious!
Thousands of United States (US) and Philippine troops conducted large-scale war exercises with a contingent of Japanese forces on Monday (20/4) local time. These war drills were held against the backdrop of the still-heating Middle East situation.
This marks the first time Japanese forces have joined the annual US-Philippine military exercises.
China reacted strongly to the joint exercises of the three countries, with some locations in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
The war exercises, as reported by AFP on Monday (20/4/2026), will feature live-fire training in northern Philippine areas facing the Taiwan Strait, as well as in a Philippine province off the disputed South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing forces have repeatedly clashed.
In one training session, Japanese military will use Type 88 cruise missiles to sink a World War II-era minesweeper off the northern coast of Luzon Island. Japan is deploying 1,400 military personnel for these exercises.
In total, more than 17,000 troops, pilots, and sailors will participate in the 19-day Balikatan military exercises. This number is nearly the same as last year’s, which included contingents from Australia, New Zealand, France, and Canada.
This year’s Balikatan military exercises are taking place as the US and Israel are at war with Iran, with a two-week ceasefire about to end.
“Despite challenges in other parts of the world, the United States’ focus on the Indo-Pacific and our steadfast commitment to the Philippines remain unshaken,” said Commander of the US Marine Expeditionary Force, Lieutenant General Christian Wortman, at the opening ceremony on Monday (20/4).
He stated that around 10,000 US military personnel will participate in the exercises.
Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner added that the US Indo-Pacific Command chief, Admiral Samuel Paparo, assured him that this year’s Balikatan exercises will be “the largest in history”.
While both countries insist that no exercises will be held “near Taiwan”, coastal defence training is being conducted less than 200 kilometres from the island’s southern coast.
China has fiercely criticised the joint exercises, calling the US, Philippines, and Japan “playing with fire”.
“What the Asia-Pacific region needs most is peace and stability, and what it needs least is the entry of external forces to sow division and confrontation,” said spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, Guo Jiakun, at a press conference.
“We want to remind the countries concerned that blindly tying themselves together in the name of security will only amount to playing with fire—which will ultimately backfire on themselves,” he said.