US, Filipino forces show firepower at sea amid China tension

By JIM GOMEZ AND AARON FAVILA
Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO, Philippines (AP) — American and Filipino forces sank a ship with a barrage of high-precision rockets, airstrikes and artillery in their largest war drills in Philippine waters facing the disputed South China Sea which are likely antagonize China. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. watched the American show of firepower from a tower in northwestern Zambales province. It’s the latest indication of his strong backing of his country’s treaty alliance with the U.S. His order for the Philippine military to shift its focus to external defense amid China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea is in sync with the Biden administration’s aim of reinforcing an arc of Indo-Pacific alliances to better counter China.