SAN ANTONIO, ZAMBILES — Marines from the United States and the Philippines attacked a beach near a disputed rocky outcrop in the South China Sea on Friday as part of joint military exercises involving more than 3,500 soldiers.

The annual naval drills are being undertaken for the first time under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, who has shown strong support for the decades-old alliance following tough relations under his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.

As he shifted his focus to China, Duterte vowed to cancel drills and cut ties with the US.

However, during a meeting with US President Joe Biden in New York last month, Marcos expressed gratitude for America’s involvement in “maintaining the peace in our region.”

China’s recent military drills around Taiwan, which it claims as part of its borders, sent alarm bells among South China Sea countries.

Beijing claims authority over practically the whole sea, but the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei all claim portions of it.

China has aggressively pressed its position despite an international court finding that its claims without legal foundation.

It has constructed artificial islands and sent hundreds of coast guard and marine militia vessels to patrol vital seas, swarming reefs and harassing fishermen and other vessels.

The KAMANDAG drills, which stand for “Cooperation of the Warriors of the Sea” in Filipino, started on Monday and will go through October 14 on the country’s major island of Luzon.

One of the goals is to improve the Philippine military’s capacity in coastal defense.

The amphibious exercises on Friday were performed on an uninhabited beach in Zambales province, roughly 240 kilometers east of Scarborough Shoal, which China captured from the Philippines in 2012.

The rich fishing area has been a topic of disagreement between the two countries.

“We are ready for any danger, sooner or later,” said Major Emery Torre, spokesperson for the Philippine Marine Corps.

However, Torre stated that the drills did not represent a strike from a particular country and were unrelated to a specific circumstance.

Marcos has taken a harder stance in defending Philippine waters, declaring that he will not allow China to violate Manila’s maritime rights.

The Philippine Coast Guard spotted six Chinese vessels, including four coast guard and two militia boats, in and around Scarborough Shoal during overhead surveillance on Thursday.

“We’re performing patrol operations to establish a presence in the region and also for the sake of our fishermen,” coast guard spokesperson Armand Balilo said.

As regional tensions rise, Washington is determined to maintain its security relationship with Manila, which includes a mutual defense treaty and the US military’s ability to keep defense equipment and supplies on multiple Philippine sites.

It also grants US soldiers access to specific military bases around the nation.