SUMMARY
Claim: The 2024 Balikatan exercises aim to expel Chinese vessels from the South China Sea.
Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video bearing the claim was posted on April 17 by a channel with 252,000 subscribers. As of writing, it has gained 53,193 views, 337 comments, and 1,500 likes.
The video’s title claims that a US major general warned China to remove its ships or be bombed. The video’s narrator also says: “Papalayasin ang lahat ng natitirang barko ng China sa South China Sea. (All remaining Chinese ships in the South China Sea will be expelled.)”
The video was uploaded a few days before the 2024 Balikatan exercises between the Philippines and the US officially started on April 22. The joint training exercises will be held until May 10.
The bottom line: The Balikatan …