China says US-Philippines drill bad for regional peace

BEIJING - China on Thursday said a military drill by the United States and the Philippines is "muscle flexing", and not good for the region's peace and stability.

"Some countries consolidate their military alliances, hold large-scale military exercises and create tension in the region. This goes against the trend of the times of peace, development, cooperation and reciprocity," said Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng at a regular press briefing.

"To reinforce military alliances and flex muscles is not good for regional peace and stability," Geng said while commenting the "Balikatan", (shoulder-to-shoulder) maneuvers that began on April 20.

According to Philippine media, this year's annual drill involved more than 11,000 US and Philippine military personnel and 61 Australian soldiers, the largest in 15 years.

"There are always some people hyping 'China threat'. Under the current circumstances when there is such a large-scale military drill, we can't help asking who is making tension in the region and threatening regional peace and stability," Geng said.