The Philippines is to hold simultaneous naval drills next week with key allies the United States and Japan, the military said Thursday, as Chinese building continues on the disputed South China Sea reefs. The Philippines is to hold simultaneous naval drills next week with key allies the United States and Japan, the military said Thursday, as Chinese building continues on the disputed South China Sea reefs.

The annual joint manoeuvres with the United States will include a P3-Orion spy plane flight and a helicopter crash and rescue simulation near disputed waters, officials said. The exercises with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force, only the second ever, will be staged separately, but in the same week as the US exercise, Philippine navy spokesman Commander Lued Lincuna said.

Lincuna could not immediately provide details of the second exercise but Japanese media, quoting unnamed official sources, said it would be staged in the South China Sea.The Japanese media also said Japan would field a P3 surveillance aircraft.

China said on Tuesday that land reclamation in the disputed Spratly islands would finish soon. The joint training will help capacitate and familiarise our troops with modern equipment. There will be sharing of information, techniques and best practices on the tactical level. They are regularly planned and scheduled exercises. With Japan, the focus is on search and rescue and disaster relief,

The Philippines has challenged China’s claims before a United Nations-backed arbitration tribunal, where it is expected to argue its case at the court’s first hearing next month. China has refused to participate in the arbitration.