The U.S. Navy and Italian Navies and the Royal Australian Air Force carried out four days of drills in the South China Sea, from Sunday to Wednesday, “in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” according to a Thursday release.

The United States, Italy and Australia have completed four days of joint drills in the hotly contested South China Sea to express anew their support for a "free and open Indo-Pacific."

China has ramped up confrontations with the Philippines in the South China Sea. The US has largely shied away from getting involved, experts told BI.

MANILA (Reuters) -Relations between Manila and Beijing have soured under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with Manila pivoting back towards the United States which supports the Southeast Asian nation in its maritime disputes with China.