Manila - Naval vessels from the Philippines and the United States recently conducted a joint sail in parts of the South China Sea situated within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, as announced by Manila's military on Monday.

This joint operation marked the first time that the Philippines and the United States had collaborated in waters west of Palawan island, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Command. The display of cooperation between the United States and the Philippines comes during a period of increased tension between Manila and Beijing, with China asserting territorial claims over much of the South China Sea.

The joint operation involved the Philippine Navy's guided-missile frigate BRP Jose Rizal and the US Navy's Alrleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson. During the operation, the vessels practiced maneuvering in proximity to each other. According to a statement from the Western Command, the purpose of this event was to offer an opportunity for the Philippine Navy and the US Indo-Pacific Navy to assess and refine their existing maritime doctrines. The Philippines has repeatedly voiced concerns about what it characterizes as China's "aggressive" actions in the South China Sea, including an incident on August 5 when China's coast guard used a water cannon against a Philippine vessel involved in a resupply mission.

China has constructed militarized artificial islands in the South China Sea, and its claims of historical sovereignty overlap with the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. In 2016, the Philippines won an international arbitration award against China, with a tribunal stating that Beijing's expansive sovereignty claim over most of the South China Sea had no legal basis.