The Philippines on Monday opened separate but simultaneous naval exercises with US and Japanese forces off Palawan, an island that is not from the disputed Spratly archipelago, where China's rapid creation of seven artificial islands from which to protect its power is stocking regional tensions. Manila, which has one of the weakest navies in Asia, has stepped up its security cooperation this year in the wake of Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, not just with ally Washington, but also with Japan and Vietnam. A Philippine military official said there was no plan for the Philippine, US and Japanese navies to hold combined exercises on Palawan, 160 kilometers from the Spratlys, although the drills could intersect because Manila had limited naval assets.

Anda, R. (2015, June 23). PH, US, Japan hold war games. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A7.