Just in time for Blinken to go ask the Chinese to be nice and cooperative with us!

AI generated text about the difference between what happened in the previous years and what changed:

This year's Philippines-US Balikatan military exercises saw some key changes compared to previous iterations:

• Scale: This year's Balikatan was the largest ever, with over 16,700 troops participating, exceeding the numbers from previous years [Xinhua].

• Focus: The drills included a stronger emphasis on maritime exercises, with the Philippine Coast Guard participating for the first time [US, Philippines kick off annual joint military drills as tensions mount in South China Sea]. This suggests a focus on island defense and resupply scenarios.

• Scenario: The exercises included a simulated island recapture in Palawan, close to the disputed Spratly Islands, which is a new development compared to past drills [AP News].

• Regional Involvement: While the core remains US-Philippines, this year included observers from ASEAN nations like Vietnam and Thailand, indicating a broader regional approach to security [US, Philippines kick off annual joint military drills as tensions mount in South China Sea].

This is the best summary I could come up with:

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — American and Filipino forces launched their largest combat exercises in years Monday in a show of allied firepower near the disputed South China Sea that has alarmed Beijing.

In encounters in disputed areas, Chinese coast guard vessels have resorting to water cannons, blocking and other dangerous maneuvers that have caused injuries to Philippine navy personnel and damaged supply boats.

U.S. Marine Lt. Gen. William Jurney said in the ceremony that the large-scale military exercises will demonstrate that the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between the U.S. and the Philippines “is no mere piece of paper.”

China strongly criticized the exercises, saying the Philippines was “ganging up” with countries from outside Asia in an obvious reference to the United States and its security partners, and warned that the drills could instigate confrontation and undermine regional stability.

The Biden administration has been strengthening an arc of alliances to better counter China, including in a possible confrontation over Taiwan, an island democracy that Beijing claims as its own.

He has also allowed rotating batches of American forces to stay in additional Philippine military camps under a 2014 defense pact, including in his country’s north, which lies just a sea border away from Taiwan and southern China.

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