The US and the Philippines are about to kick off the "Balikatan" ("shoulder-to-shoulder") military exercises on April 22, which will last until May 10 and involve 16,700 soldiers.
The drills, dubbed by the Western press "most expansive", will be for the first time held outside Philippines’ territorial waters and simulating seizing islands in vicinity to Taiwan and the South China Sea.
According to the Washington Post, the drills' major focus will be on the US and Filipino militaries acting as a "single fighting force." US allies France and Australia will take part in certain segments of the exercises, the newspaper added.
The Chinese media have expressed concerns over the "extremely negative" nature of the drills. The Global Times, an English-language Chinese daily, noted that not only did the scale of the upcoming event exceed those carried out in previous years, but Washington and Manila will conduct exercises "for the first time in disputed areas beyond 12 nautical miles from Philippine territorial waters."
"The Philippine Coast Guard will deploy six vessels for this exercise for the first time," the newspaper continued. "Additionally, the navies of the Philippines, the US, and France will conduct trilateral joint patrols for the first time. Compared to the staged nature of the 'sinking exercise,' the several 'firsts' touted by the US and the Philippines pose a substantive threat to regional stability, which should lead regional countries to maintain high vigilance."
In addition, the US Mid-Range Capability (MRC) missile has been deployed in the Philippines, the Chinese daily pointed out, stressing that it is Washington's first missile deployment in the Asia Pacific since the Cold War era.
The newspaper continued that the Philippines has now become a "broken window" in the region, adding that all US Western allies are currently in line to sign "visiting force" accords with Manila.
Chinese media drew particular attention to the fact that Manila opted to use the retired Chinese-built Philippine Navy replenishment tanker "BRP Lake Caliraya" as an "enemy ship" target, "showing clear provocative intent". China rejected the Philippines' claims that the pick of the target was "unintentional."
"They are attempting to cover it up and refuse to acknowledge it, making the farcical claim that it is 'not intentional'," Global Times wrote. "This approach of trying to have it both ways has turned Manila into a joke in the region and is an example of its opportunistic behavior in the entire South China Sea issue."
The US has recently been militarizing both Taiwan and the Philippines under the pretext of China's possible "invasion" of Taiwan, viewed by Beijing as its inalienable territory. The Chinese media warned the Philippines that Beijing's restraint is not unlimited and if Manila and "external forces" cross the red line in the South China sea, China will "definitely take action when necessary, which is something the Philippines cannot afford."