(MENAFN) According to reports, China sharply criticized the Philippines on Sunday after Manila carried out joint maritime exercises with the United States and Japan in the South China Sea.

The Chinese military urged the Philippines to stop what it described as provocative behavior and to avoid heightening tensions in the disputed waters. Tian Junli, spokesperson for the PLA Southern Theater Command, delivered the warning following what China referred to as “joint patrols” conducted with nations outside the region — activities Beijing claims threaten regional peace and stability.

The spokesperson also noted that the PLA Southern Theater Command conducted its own routine patrol on Friday, which included a bomber formation operating in the South China Sea.

These remarks followed the Philippines’ naval exercises with the US Indo-Pacific Command and Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force on Nov. 14–15. According to a statement from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the drills incorporated coordinated operations at sea and in the air involving multiple naval assets.

The statement, posted on US social platform X, affirmed that the exercises demonstrated the country’s “commitment to safeguarding the nation’s sovereign rights and advancing collective defense readiness alongside trusted partners.”

It continued by stressing that “These engagements highlight not only the Philippines’ steadfast resolve to defend its maritime domains but also its shared commitment with partners to strengthen deterrence, enhance interoperability, and uphold freedom of navigation under a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific.”

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