Joint drills to be expanded

Live-fire drills: A Filipino soldier firing an AT-4 84mm anti-tank rocket with the guidance of a US soldier during the Salaknib joint military at Fort Magsaysay. — AP

Filipino soldiers staged live-fire exercises with their US counterparts in the South-East Asian country’s largest military camp as part of army-to-army drills aimed at enhancing Manila’s defence capabilities against external threats.

The drills come after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s decision in February to expand the United States’ access to his country’s military bases – a move that has infuriated China, which accuses Washington of stoking tensions in the region.