U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft F-16 performs aerobatic maneuvers at the Aero India 2023 at Yelahanka air base, in Bangalore, India, Feb. 14, 2023.(Photo: Xinhua)

The Philippines and the US recently held a joint exercise in the South China Sea aimed at China as the Philippines expressed interest in purchasing US F-16 fighter jets. Experts said on Thursday that the US is tightening its grip on the Philippines after the latter reached a provisional arrangement with China on managing situation in the region.

Citing the Philippine armed forces, Reuters reported that the Philippines and US navies conducted a joint maritime exercise in the South China Sea on Wednesday.

Held "inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone," the exercise included two vessels and was designed to enhance communication and operational coordination between the two navies, the report said.

The two countries began joint maritime activities in November 2023 to enhance how their militaries could operate in tandem at a time of growing tensions with China in the South China Sea, Reuters said.

The latest US-Philippines joint exercise was held shortly after China reached a provisional arrangement with the Philippines on managing the situation on the Ren'ai Jiao (also known as the Ren'ai Reef) in the South China Sea on July 22, and the Philippines completed a resupply mission at Ren'ai Jiao under the China Coast Guard's supervision on July 27 following the arrangement.

It exposed that the Philippines has not given up on casting its greedy eyes on Chinese islands and reefs in the South China Sea by relying on external forces like the US, and that Washington is not willing to see the tensions in the region settle down, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Thursday.

Through joint drills, which have become routine since November 2023, the US and the Philippines can boost interoperability in terms of information systems, simulate a number of scenarios, enhance the Philippines' maritime situational awareness and intelligence, and help the US conduct battlefield environment buildups, Ding Duo, a deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Law and Policy at China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

Reuters also reported that the Philippines has expressed interest in purchasing US F-16 fighter jets, with its air force possibly being allocated additional funds next year.

Analysts questioned if the Philippines has sufficient funds and if the US has sufficient capacity of production for the F-16s. The F-16 also poses little threat to Chinese stealth fighter jets.

The goal of the US is to further tighten its grip on the Philippines and avoid a situation in which the Philippine policies on the South China Sea and on China deviate from the US's own strategies and interests, experts said.