A joint naval exercise in South China Sea was conducted by Japan and the Philippines, an exercise that appears to be a response to the maritime behavior of China.

Japan said that the naval joint exercise with the Philippines took place in Manila's west waters, according to The Wall Street Journal. The report also said that, according to Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force spokesperson, Japan sent two Japanese destroyers to take part in the drill.

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The joint naval exercise was also to create a security ties between the two countries as a response to China's maritime activity.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that they hoped that the relevant countries would respect effort made by countries in the region to safeguard peace and stability, and refrain from increasing the tensions or harming the national security and mutual trust, Reuters reported.

Chunying said that China was following the naval drills closely.

One of the latest features of the joint naval exercise is its focus on communication strategies to response to "unplanned encounters at sea," The Wall Street Journal added. The government of the Philippines said two destroyers from Japan and a warship from the Philippines took part in a maritime exercise as the two practiced the naval drill for the unplanned encounters.

Last month, the Japanese government and the U.S. agreed to raise guidelines for the military alliance of the two countries for the first time, in over a decade. Japan is now taking their move to expand Japan's Self-Defense Forces overseas while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said to the Congress that they are committed to support the U.S. in Asia-Pacific region.

Narushige Michisita, security expert from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, said that Japan was to build constructive security ties with China, according to Reuters. "But in a low-key, but understandable, manner it's sending a message to the Chinese leadership that 'Even if you use force to expand your sphere of influence, there is a limit to what you can do and the countries in the region are willing to stop it'," Michisita added.

Tagsnaval exercise, naval drill, maritime