Philippines says military exercises not aimed at China

From Roy Ramos

ZAMBOANGA, the Philippines

A Philippines military official has said that China should not feel threatened by upcoming joint military exercises involving Filipino troops and United States and Australian forces as they are not directed at any country.

Maj. Gen. Rodolfo Santiago, assistant executive director of this year's "Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder)" exercises, said the drills involved "generic scenario" without addressing a specific country, despite what he called "aggressive actions" in the South China Sea, which the Philippines refers to as the West Philippine Sea.

"If they will be invited as observers, they would see that this is not directed at anyone because what we do is practice a generic scenario that does not address any of the threats so even China should not be threatened by what we are doing," Santiago told ANC News Channel in an interview.

Santiago said that one of the drills would see Filipino troops trying to recapture an island or a territory invaded by foreign forces, but stressed that it is part of a regular defense exercise.

"Any type of aggression from any other country would involve seizing of an island and therefore as part of our defense. In fact, we are assuming that we lost the island so we have to retake it," Santiago underlined.

The Philippines is locked in a territorial dispute with China over large swaths of the South China Sea, which contains a group of mostly barren islands, reefs and atolls called the Spratlys to which China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have laid claim.

They are believed to be sitting on top of oil and natural gas deposits and straddle the world's most-traversed sea-lanes.

China uses the so-called “nine-dash line” on the map to assert ownership of almost the entire sea, while the Philippines refers to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as basis for its claim.

Some 10,000 troops from Australia, the Philippines and the U.S. will participate in the military drills set from April 4 to 15. Japanese forces have also been invited as observers.

Santiago noted that this year's joint exercises, an annual event, is one of the biggest as five military unit commands would take part.

The U.S. is expected to send fighter jets, five warships and missile rocket launching pads to take action in this year's games.