Massive ‘Cobra Gold’ military drills begin amid North Korea, South China Sea tensions

The largest multilateral military exercise in Asia-Pacific kicked off on Tuesday in Thailand, amid rising regional tensions after North Korea’s latest rocket launch and Beijing’s plays for territory in contested areas of the South China Sea.

The exercise, attended by some 27 countries this year, also comes with the United States maintaining a scaled down presence due to a 2014 coup in Bangkok and calling for a swift return to democracy.

It also follows an attack in Jakarta last month that killed eight and was claimed by Islamic State, the radical group’s first assault on Indonesia.

Strategic rival China will also take part in some humanitarian joint exercises, at a time when the US is closely watching Beijing’s increasingly assertive stance in the South China Sea.

Tensions have risen in the last two years after China built islands on disputed reefs in the Spratly Islands chain that China’s neighbours fear could be used to threaten their territories.