Manila, April 20 -- The "Balikatan" exercises among the Philippines, United States and its allies are not aimed against China, a ranking American military official said on Monday.

"Emphatically no. The exercise really is about reinforcing the alliance and the mutual defense treaty, enhancing our interoperability, strengthening our readiness, and supporting our ability to contribute to security in the region," U.S. Balikatan exercise director Lt. Gen. Christian Wortman said in a press briefing shortly after the exercise's opening ceremonies in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Wortman noted that "there is no target nation in terms of an adversary force that we're exercising against."

"Our exercise objectives are really defined by that intero...