CHINA accused the Philippines of creating “disturbances” as its navy conducted a patrol in the South China Sea on Tuesday, as Philippine and US forces held their own drills in the disputed sea alongside the Australian Navy meant to improve their combat readiness.

In a statement late Tuesday, the Southern Theatre Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army said its forces had carried out routine patrols in the South China Sea, without giving an exact location.

“Recently, the Philippines has been frequently carrying out maritime infringement provocations, creating disturbances and pulling in countries from outside the region to organize so-called joint patrols,” it said.

The command’s naval and air forces have monitored the situation and maintained vigilance, it added.

“Troops in the theater of operations are maintaining a high level of alert, resolutely defending the country’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and resolutely safeguarding peace and stability in the South China Sea region,” it said.

The South China Sea has become a flashpoint in Southeast Asia as China continues to assert sovereignty over almost the entire sea, seen as a vital global trade route that is also believed to be rich in undersea gas and oil deposits.

Beijing has deployed an armada of coast guard vessels to protect what it considers its territory despite a 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling that voided its claim for being illegal.

More than 14,000 Filipino and American soldiers are participating in Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises that run from April 21 through May 9 in the face of shared regional security concerns. China has said the drills are provocative.

A Philippine missile frigate, an Australian destroyer ship and various military jets from the US participated in the April 29 military training, where a range of combat drills were performed to improve military communications, sea tactics and anti-submarine warfare capabilities, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said in a statement on Wednesday.

Three FA-50 fighter jets of the Philippine Air Force performed a joint patrol as part of the drills in the hotly contested waters alongside the US Pacific Air Forces’ B-1 long-range bomber and two F-16 and F-18 jets.

“The exercise demonstrates the growing synergy among like-minded partners in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” AFP Chief of Staff Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. said in the statement. “These exercises are vital in strengthening our collective defense posture and operational readiness.”

The military drills are being held in Philippine areas facing regional hotspots such as the South China Sea and Taiwan.

Started in 1991, the Balikatan exercise has evolved into Southeast Asia’s premier combat rehearsal as the Philippines and the US seek to strengthen security cooperation and enhance force interoperability in response to China’s growing assertiveness in the region.

Last week, the US deployed its Nimitz aircraft carrier group to the Philippine Sea, where it is practicing day and night flight operations and testing its ability to rapidly deploy military jets in various weather conditions, according to the US Indo-Pacific Command.

The Philippines and China have been entangled in a sea row over claims in the South China Sea, with clashes flaring around disputed maritime features such as the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal.

Tensions between them were rekindled after Chinese media said Beijing had seized a disputed reef near a Philippine outpost last week, a claim Manila quickly shot down.

The joint combat drills jeopardize regional peace and could lead to further provocations, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said last week, according to a transcript published on the agency’s website.

“The South China Sea should be a sea of peace, cooperation and friendship,” he said. “However, the Philippines holds a candle to the devil by currying favor and colluding with the US and other outside countries to make provocations.”

Responding in a separate statement to the Chinese military’s comments, the Philippine military said the armed forces stand firm in exercising their sovereign rights and partnerships with allies like the US that reflect shared values.

“The conduct of joint exercises and maritime domain awareness operations within our territorial waters and exclusive economic zone is not a provocation; it is preparedness,” it said.

“To be clear: the Philippines is a sovereign state. No foreign power can dictate how we defend our home or with whom we stand in solidarity,” it added. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio