Thousands of Marines from the United States and the Philippines have begun a series of joint exercises in the northern and western parts of Philippine territory that will take place over ten days.
The exercises, known as Kamandag or Venom, aim to strengthen the defenses of the northern coast of Luzon, the main island of the Philippines, 800 kilometers from Taiwan.
Among the main maneuvers are live firing exercises on the said coast, as well as small Philippine islands between Luzon and the Taiwanese territory.
Ahead of the move, China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to retake it, described the maneuvers as a “warning” to the “separatist” forces that rule the island.
However, Arturo Rojas, the commander of the Philippine Marine Corps, emphasized that the exercises were planned long ago and that they “have nothing to do with what is happening in the region.”
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