The Philippine foreign ministry said on Friday it was "concerned" over what it described as "unsafe manoeuvres" and the use of flares by a Chinese air force plane against an Australian Air Force aircraft in the South China Sea.

The Philippines, US, Australia and Japan held joint military drills as China continues to assert sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea. The allied nations participated in the 6th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) in the West Philippine Sea - the parts of the South China Sea within the 200-mile Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone - on 5.

According to Philippine media reports, the US, the Philippines, Australia, and Japan held a joint maritime exercise in the South China Sea on Wednesday. At the same time, Philippine media did not hesitate to hype the so-called Chinese "monster ship.