THE PHILIPPINES

The US military has cancelled largescale exercises involving thousands of troops in the Philippines in May due to the “extraordinary circumstances” of the coronavirus pandemic, said Adm Phil Davidson, head of the US Indo-Pacific Command. The Balikatan 2020 war games, scheduled to be held from May 4-15, usually involve several thousand troops from the two longstanding allies and a smaller contingent from Australia. The US troops who take part in Balikatan (Shoulder to Shoulder) usually come from its bases in Japan and South Korea.