Philippines and US start largest ever annual military drills

The United States and the Philippines have begun their largest-ever military drills, which will include a live-fire exercise on a sunken ship in the South China Sea.

More than 17,000 soldiers are taking part in the annual event, known as Balikatan, with about 12,200 American troops, 5,400 members of the Philippines armed forces (AFP) as well as representatives from other countries, including Australia. Balikatan means ‘shoulder to shoulder’ in Tagalog.