The Philippines has been skipping military exercises with the United States in order not to “exacerbate the situation in the South China Sea,” but Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana hopes the annual Balikatan exercises could resume in May.
“We don’t want anything—miscalculations or accidents—happening in the South China Sea because we are right smack in the center of the conflict if it happens,” Lorenzana said a day after speaking with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III.
“We would be left in a pitiful state so it is in our interest to pursue a stable and peaceful South China Sea,” he said in a television interview.
Nurture relationship
“We also have to nurtur…
Keep on reading: PH-US Balikatan may resume May, defense chief says