(Bloomberg) -- There’s no reason for China to “overreact” to the joint maritime patrol by the US, Japan, Australia and the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea, a White House advisor said.

“This is about freedom of navigation; it’s about adherence to international law; it’s about proving the simple point that we and our allies will fly, sail and operate wherever international law permits us to do and it does in the South China Sea, and we did,” National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby was quoted as saying in a statement released by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s communications office.

Marcos, who has asserted his country’s claims in the vital waterway, is set to meet with President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington on Thursday as the US deepens ties with its Asian allies.

China Tensions at Center of Biden’s Summit With Kishida, Marcos

Ahead of the trilateral summit, the US, Australia, Japan and the Philippines on April 7 held joint military drills in the South China Sea, where Beijing lays sweeping claims. China’s military also practiced joint naval and air force strikes in undisclosed areas of the South China Sea. 

“You can look forward to additional opportunities for us to conduct those kinds of maritime patrol,” Kirby said, adding that the US is watching the maritime dispute “with great concern.”

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