Head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr., speaks during the opening ceremony of the U.S.-Philippines Balikatan joint military exercises, at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Metro Manila, on Monday. | REUTERS Beijing – China conducted military drills recently including live-fire exercises in waters east of the Philippines' Luzon Island, it said on Friday, as Manila ​and Washington host annual drills that extend toward disputed areas of the South China ‌Sea. Over 17,000 ‌troops from the U.S., the Philippines and allies began their annual ​Balikatan military exercises this week, with combat troops from Japan joining for the first time amid persistent strains between Tokyo and Beijing. The Chinese military's Southern Theater Command (STC) said on Friday ⁠its Naval Task Group 107 carried out activities that focused on live-fire shooting, sea-air coordination, rapid maneuvers and ⁠maritime replenishments to test integrated joint combat capabilities.…