China on Monday called for efforts to safeguard peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region in response to ongoing joint military exercises run by the United States and the Philippines."It is in the common interests of all parties concerned to maintain peace and stability in Asia and the Pacific, which demands constructive efforts by all parties," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.
"(We) hope that actions taken by the United States and the Philippines will go in this direction as well," said the spokeswoman, urging the two countries to do things "conducive to building mutual trust among countries and maintaining peace and stability in the region."Troops from the Philippines and the United States formally began on Monday their annual joint military exercises, dubbed Balikatan (or "shoulder-to-shoulder").
The 30th annual joint military drill will involve 3,000 Filipino soldiers and 2,500 American soldiers.
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American and Philippine marines have launched a joint maneuver in the Philippines' northern island of Luzon amid a territorial dispute between the south Asian country and China.The 10-day exercise, now in its 29th year, kicked off on Monday with the participation of about 2,600 troops from the US and 1,200 from Philippines.
The maneuver will include "live-fire exercises, a simulated helicopter raid, a demonstration of American aircraft capabilities, disaster preparedness drills and public service activities." "Today, we stand side by side as we face common threats," said American Brigadier General Craig Q. Timberlake at the opening ceremony held on the US amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard in Subic Bay - a former US naval base. The deputy commander of the Philippine armed forces, Brigadier General Remigio C. Valdez said that the exercise has no relation with his country's territorial dispute with China over islands lying near rich energy deposits in the South China Sea.
"Technological advancement is at the heart of its goal," Valdez said.
The Philippines said on Monday Subic Bay could play a key role as a hub for American ships while Washington is trying to strengthen its naval presence in the Asia-Pacific. "There are very few ports that can accommodate naval assets and naval carriers, and one of them is Subic," said Edilberto Adan, the head of the Philippines' Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) commission. "As the US begins to implement (the shift), Subic will play an important role because it is one of the important facilities that can service their presence in the Pacific," the former general added.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/09/265692/philippines-us-start-10day-maneuver/
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