Two Chinese warships lurked as Philippines and India held joint naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea.

The Chinese Navy's Jiangkai class frigates sailed at the edge of Philippine territorial waters during maritime drills between the Philippines and India on August 3.

Philippine authorities said the Coast Guard's BRP Jose Rizal issued a radio challenge but the Chinese forces did not answer. India also deployed a helicopter to conduct an aerial survey near the warships.

Lieutenant Germain Roy Diaz, acting operations officer of the BPR Jose Rizal, said of the Chinese vessels: 'Throughout the two days, they were along with us but they were relatively far from us. We have been monitoring them, not the other way around. We are in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines.'

The joint naval activity marks the first time the Philippine and Indian navies sailed together in the South China Sea.

The Philippines is currently embroiled in a territorial dispute with China over parts of the waterway.

Expansionist China 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.

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