China's military said it had conducted a patrol in the South China Sea on Friday, the day U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Washington's commitment to Manila, which disputes some of Beijing's claims in the waterway.

The United States, Japan and the Philippines have staged joint naval drills to boost crisis readiness off a disputed South China Sea shoal as a Chinese military ship kept watch from a distance.

The action took place amid ongoing efforts by the Philippines to enlist countries outside the region for so-called "joint patrols" and hype and spread its unlawful claims in the South China Sea, said Tian Junli, spokesperson for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command.