The Philippines and Japan held joint military drills as China continues to make sweeping territorial claims over the South China Sea.

Both nations carried out the bilateral exercises on June 14, a week after Japan ratified the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) facilitating increased military engagement between the two countries.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said soldiers practiced anti-submarine warfare, cross-deck exercises, division tactics and officer of the watch manoeuvers, photo exercises, and a finish exercise in the West Philippine Sea - the parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory.

A Chinese Navy ship was also spotted allegedly tailing Japan's JS Takanami during the drills.

Tian Junli, spokesman for the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army-Navy, said China's army was holding joint air and sea patrols at the same time.

AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo S Brawner Jr. said: 'This cooperative activity is more than a display of maritime capability—it is a manifestation of our enduring commitment to uphold peace, stability, and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific.

'With the RAA now in effect, our coordination with Japan will only grow stronger and more responsive to the complex demands of our shared security environment.'

Expansionist China is locked in territorial disputes with the Philippines and Japan over parts of the East China Sea and South China Sea.

The rogue communist state currently lays claim over almost the entire South China Sea, one of the world's busiest sea lanes. But a United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 deemed its claims groundless.

China - accused of genocide for its crimes against the Uyghur population - has been steadily increasing its influence in recent years through investment in developing countries.