United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has discussed with Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. his country’s latest policy on maritime claims in the South China Sea, which supports sovereign rights of coastal states as well as rules-based order in contested waters.

According to MarineTraffic, the Chinese research ship departed Guangzhou, China on July 22 and arrived in the area of Recto Bank on August 6.

The US Department of State said Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talked about the recent change in US policy in a call.

Lawyer Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said the joint maritime drills were supposed to improve the country's interoperability with allies and other navies in the region.

President Rodrigo Duterte's order against taking part in joint maritime drills in the South China Sea was in line with his independent foreign policy and was meant to avoid tensions with other countries, Malacañang said Tuesday.