The leader of the Philippines says his government will keep talking to Beijing to try to calm tensions in the South China Sea.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told reporters on Monday his government is taking every chance to engage with China over their territorial dispute, saying, "We still continue to talk at a ministerial level, at a sub-ministerial level, at a people-to-people level."

Marcos said he hopes Manila and Beijing can prevent confrontations in the disputed waters through dialogue. Such clashes have included China Coast Guard vessels firing water cannon at Philippine boats delivering supplies to a military outpost at Second Thomas Shoal.

Marcos spoke a day after the Philippines completed a joint drill with Japan, the US and Australia. The four countries deployed ships and aircraft in Manila's exclusive economic zone in what was dubbed the first "Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity." The exercise was apparently staged in response to Beijing's aggressive actions in the South China Sea.

On Sunday, China held its own naval and air patrol in the disputed waters. Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, including areas within the EEZ of Southeast Asian countries, such as the Philippines.