India and the Philippines are staging joint naval sail and exercises in the disputed South China Sea for the first time, a high-profile military deployment that will likely antagonize China.

The Philippine and Indian navies have sailed together for the first time in the South China Sea, officials said on Monday, as President Ferdinand Marcos left Manila for New Delhi for a state visit.

The exercise coincided with President Marcos’s trip to India, where he said he would look to deepen maritime ties.