Manila and Beijing could find ways to find common ground and cooperate despite ongoing disputes, a day after the Philippine Navy said it would conduct naval exercises near a disputed coast in the South China Sea.

The Navy said in a statement that it aims to improve the Navy’s ability to protect Philippine waters, the inner core around Scarborough Shoal, a tropical area in Asia, and enhance the country’s territorial integrity.

It was described as a “routine lateral exercise” involving its Antonio Luna and two other patrol ships operating in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

The drills coincided with the Philippine Coast Guard’s continued radio challenges to the Coast Guard’s coastal presence, China’s largest ever, which it says is illegally patrolling Manila’s EEZ.

“If China is sincerely committed to de-escalation of tensions and sincerely seeks to develop mutual trust and cooperation between our interests…the Chinese government must respect the Philippines’ sovereign security in our EEZ,” the Coast Guard. An announcement will be made later.

The China Commercial Office in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment today.

China’s extensive territorial claim in the main maritime trade route overlaps with the EEZs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

A 2016 ruling by an international arbitration tribunal ruled that Beijing’s claims based on the map had no basis under international law, a decision that was not accepted.

In the 10th round of negotiations held under a bilateral mechanism that participated in the South China Sea issues, China and the Philippines joined to improve communication and engage in dialogue, and engaged with them on current conflicts.