American and Filipino forces have fired a barrage of high-precision rockets, airstrikes and artillery in their largest war drills in Philippine waters facing the disputed South China Sea that would likely antagonize China. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday watched the American show of firepower from a tower in northwestern Zambales province. It’s the latest indication of his strong backing of his country’s treaty alliance with the U.S. His order for the Philippine military to shift its focus to external defense amid China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea falls in sync with the Biden administration’s aim of reinforcing an arc of Indo-Pacific alliances to better counter China.
