The 15-day drills dubbed ALON 25 are taking place around Palawan and Luzon in the Philippines. Also on East Asia Tonight: India’s top security official says ties with China on “upward trend” as Beijing lifts rare earths export curbs; Taiwan says it must rely on its own defences after Trump says China will not invade while he is president; North Korea’s Kim Jong Un vows rapid nuclear expansion in response to US-South Korea military exercises; and why the UK is worried about China’s “mega embassy”