About 4,500 US Marines trained with their Philippine counterparts on Thursday as part of an annual joint military drill between the two countries.

The 12-day-long exercise involving 2,300 Philippine troops takes place in the south-western Philippine island province of Palawan.

About 4,500 US Marines trained with their Philippine counterparts on Thursday as part of an annual joint military drill between the two countries.?

US and Philippine officials stressed that China was not an imaginary target in the drills.

The drills would mostly focus on humanitarian missions and disaster preparedness, although it will also include the mock retaking of an oil rig supposedly seized by militants near the South China Sea.