Malacañang is open to the holding of military drills between China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as proposed by Beijing. China was reported to have proposed the holding of military exercises with Asean countries but these exercises should not include the United States. Speaking to reporters in Malita, Davao Occidental on Monday, Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said China’s objective in pursuing an all-Asian military drill was to have a “closer cooperation among six neighbors.”

Valente, C. S. (2018, August 7). Palace open to China, ASEAN war games. The Manila Times, p. A3.