WASHINGTON, D.C.: The recent spate of aggressive maneuverings by China in the West Philippine Sea has been of "great concern" for the United States government, a ranking American official said.

"As I said, we are, we've been watching those tensions with great concern. And, we again urge the PRC (People's Republic of China) to abide by the 2016 ruling, and to recognize, as we do, that a show of force within the Philippine economic exclusion area and we will continue to make that point," White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said in a briefing at the Philippine Embassy here.

The official further noted that, in President Joe Biden's recent phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the American leader "very clearly made our concerns known about Chinese activities in the South China Sea."

He likewise reiterated that the said conversation of the American and Chinese leaders will not in any way affect the bilateral meeting of Biden and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and their trilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Kirby pointed out that the historic summit would cover a wide range of areas where the three countries can deepen their partnerships not just in terms of a security framework in the Indo-Pacific, but also in many aspects including trade, people to people exchanges, and climate change, among others.

He likewise urged Beijing "not to overreact" regarding the United States and the Philippines' "quadrilateral cooperation" with Australia and Japan in the contested waterway.

The four nations recently conducted a joint maritime patrol in the WPS which was met by a strong reaction from China.

"I can't speak for the PRC reaction, one way or another, except to say there is no reason to overreact to this," Kirby said.

"This is about freedom of navigation; it's about adherence to international law; it's about proving the simple point that we and our allies will fly, sail and operate wherever international law permits us to do and it does in the South China Sea, and we did," he added.

He further stated that more similar maritime patrols will be conducted by the US in Philippine waters.

"And I think you can look forward to additional opportunities for us to conduct those kinds of maritime patrol. But they are really about reconfirming a simple principle about international maritime law in international waters," Kirby said.

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