The Philippines and Japan, which are each involved in bitter maritime disputes with China, are conducting their first ever bilateral naval exercises.

The drills taking place Tuesday in the South China Sea involve two Japanese destroyers and a Philippine Navy frigate, according to Manila officials.

Manila denies the war games are aimed at sending a message to Beijing, instead insisting they are meant to boost military capabilities and cooperation.

One of the drill’s main maneuvers, say officials, will involve a helicopter taking off from the Philippine frigate and landing on the Japanese destroyer.

“This is for safety purposes, just to avoid encounters at sea, unusual incidents,” Philippine Navy chief Jesus Millan told GMA News Online.

The paper reported the drills would be held within the Philippine’s 44-kilometer contiguous zone, near Corregidor Island, where there is no territorial dispute with China.

About 300 kilometers to the west lay the reefs, rocks, and rich fishing grounds of Scarborough Shoal, which is claimed by Manila and Beijing. Following a 2012 standoff, China seized the strategic shoal and has prevented Philippine fishing boats from reaching the area.

Further south, China is strengthening its presence with an ambitious series of land-reclamation efforts in the Spratly Islands, parts of which are claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

The moves are reflective of the way in which China has gradually asserted its authority over the South China Sea. Beijing claims nearly the entire 3.5-million square kilometer area, which is rich in natural resources and is a main trade route.

On Monday, Philippine military chief Gregorio Catapang visited the disputed Thitu Island. He vowed to defend the island, which Manila refers to as Pagasa.

“I’m visiting this place to establish the fact that Pagasa is a municipality of Palawan, and Palawan is a province of the Philippines. And therefore, Pagasa is a territory of the Republic of the Philippines,” said Catapang.

The island is administered by the Philippines, but is also claimed by China, which refers to the island as Zhongye.

Separately, Japan is involved in a dispute with China over territory in the East China Sea. The main flashpoint between the two countries in recent years has been a set of uninhabited islands known in Japan as Senkaku and in China as Diaoyu.

Some of the rival claimants have strengthened bilateral ties, as part of what is seen as an effort to portray a unified front against the military and economic might of a rising China. Many have also developed closer military ties with the U.S.
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