[A U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369 (HMLA-369) lands on the USS Miguel Keith (ESB-5) ahead of Balikatan 22 on Mar. 17, 2022. The Miguel Keith, a Lewis B. Puller-class Expeditionary Mobile Base Ship, is a highly flexible platform that provides logistics movement from sea to shore supporting a broad range of military operations.U.S. (Photo from Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Kallahan Morris)]

MANILA: The Philippines and the United States will kick off the largest-ever joint military drills in the archipelago nation next week, US officials said Tuesday, showing off their strong defense ties in the face of growing Chinese assertiveness. Nearly 9,000 Filipino and American soldiers will take part in the 12-day war games on the main island of Luzon, which are usually an annual affair but were canceled or curbed during the pandemic, PhilStar reported.

The exercises, which start March 28, will cover among other things maritime security, live-fire training, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief, the US embassy said in a statement. "(Both sides) will train together to expand and advance shared tactics, techniques and procedures that strengthen our response capabilities and readiness for real-world challenges," said Major General Jay Bargeron, commander of the US 3rd Marine Division. Recent maneuvers between the longtime allies have focused on potential conflict in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

China has ignored a 2016 ruling by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that its historical claim is without basis. It has reinforced its stance by building artificial islands over some contested reefs and installing weapons on them.