Watch: Thai, US forces participate in Cobra Gold exercises

Sattahip: The annual Cobra Gold military exercises were held off the coast of Thailand on Saturday.

The event is the biggest activity of its type in the Asia-Pacific region, with 29 nations taking part as participants or observers.

Saturday's drills saw almost 1,200 marines and soldiers from Thailand, South Korea and the United States, backed by amphibious vehicles, storming ashore a beach in Sattahip, Chonburi Province.

Relations between Washington and the Thai government were strained following 2014's military coup in Thailand, and US involvement in Cobra Gold was scaled down.

But, with a confident China flexing its muscles in the region, the US has rebuilt its involvement in an attempt to counter Beijing's growing influence.