Philippines conducts military exercises with the US and Japan in the South China Sea.

(Baonghean) - The Philippines will hold separate naval exercises with US and Japanese forces this week on an island in the Philippines not far from Vietnam's Spratly Islands, where China illegally occupies seven islets, increasing tensions in the region.

Manila, one of the countries with the weakest naval forces in the Asian region, has been strengthening security cooperation amid China's assertive actions in the South China Sea, not only with Washington's allies but also with Japan and Vietnam.

The U.S. deployed the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth to participate in exercises with the Philippines. (Photo: Reuters)

A Philippine military official said there are no plans to hold joint exercises for the Philippine, US, and Japanese navies on Palawan Island, 160 kilometers (approximately 100 miles) from the Spratly Islands, although the exercises could overlap because Manila has limited naval assets.

"At some point, all three forces may merge in an operation because we only have two ships and aircraft are restricted from participating in these exercises," the official said.

Late Sunday, two P3C-Orion maritime reconnaissance aircraft, one belonging to the United States and the other to Japan, landed at a military airfield in Puerto Princesa City, the capital of Palawan.

The two-week drills with the United States began last weekend. The two-day exercises with Japan started on Tuesday, officials said. These drills will take place in Philippine territorial waters, outside the disputed South China Sea.

While the Philippine military regularly trains with U.S. forces, the country only held its first joint naval exercise with Japan in May. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has been strengthening security cooperation across Southeast Asia this year.

Phuong Thao

(According to Reuters, June 22)