A flurry of naval drills surrounding the Philippines involving the United States and its partners has prompted complaints from Beijing, which claims the entire South China Sea and accuses Manila of colluding with others to destabilize the region.

China has conducted military patrols in the South China Sea while the Philippines was holding joint naval drills with the U.S., Japan and Australia, saying Manila is undermining Beijing's claims in the region.

It followed Tuesday’s PLA air patrol over the contested Scarborough Shoal – known as Huangyan Island in China. The Chinese military activities came after the Philippines and the United States held a joint patrol over the South China Sea on Tuesday,