India–Philippines relations , Territorial disputes in the South China Sea The Indian and Philippine navies conduct their first joint exercise in the Philippine...

India and the Philippines have staged joint naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea for the first time, antagonizing China.

Was greeted to a welcome ceremony in New Delhi on Tuesday by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu.

In this handout photo provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Public Affairs Office, Philippine Navy personnel aboard BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) simulate torpedo launcher operations to enhance crew readiness during a joint activity between the Philippines and Indian Navy at the South China Sea on Sunday, Aug.

(Armed Forces of the Philippines, Public Affairs Office via ).

In this handout photo provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Public Affairs Office Philippine Navy personnel aboard BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) conduct onboard planning and execute a simulation ahead of replenishment at sea during a joint activity between the Philippines and Indian Navy at the South China Sea on...

In this handout photo provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Public Affairs Office, Philippine Navy personnel aboard BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) leads a precision communication exercise to ensure inter-ship coordination during a joint activity between the Philippines and Indian Navy at the South China Sea on Sund...

A crew arranges the Philippine and Indian national flags as Indian Navy survey ship INS Sandhayak docks at Manila’s port, Philippines, on Friday, Aug.

A crew disembarks the Indian navy ship guided-missile destroyer, INS Delhi, that is docked at Manila’s port, Philippines, on Friday, Aug.

MANILA, Philippines () — India and the Philippines have staged joint naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea for the first time, a high-profile military deployment that antagonized China.

Beijing has separate territorial disputes with the two Asian democracies and a long-running regional rivalry with New Delhi.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen.

Romeo Brawner said Monday that the two-day joint naval sail and exercises which began Sunday went successfully, and expressed hopes that Filipino forces could engage India’s military in more joint maneuvers in the future.

Asked if Chinese forces carried out any action in response, Brawner said without elaborating that “we did not experience any untoward incident but we were still shadowed.

Two Chinese navy ships, including a guided-missile destroyer, were spotted about 25 nautical miles (46 kilometers) from one of two Philippine navy frigates that participated in the joint sail on Sunday, the Philippine military said.

The importance of the report depends on confirmed records, named authorities and any follow-up statements that clarify the scale, timing and public impact of the development.

The next useful information will be the most direct record available: an official notice, a named statement, an updated dataset, a court filing, a regulator note or a corrected public advisory.