Chinese naval and air forces have held maneuvers in a disputed part of the South China Sea. The drills came shortly after high-level talks between Beijing and Washington about relieving regional tensions in the area.

Chinese ships and planes on Saturday conducted patrols around the flashpoint Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea as Beijing continues to assert its claims to almost the entire waterway against the will of several other countries in the region.

The maneuvers come after several tense maritime confrontations, particularly with the Philippines, in recent months. It also coincided with joint exercises carried out by the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Philippines in Manila’s exclusive economic zone.

They also follow talks between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York on ways to reduce tensions in the region.