A top military general has issued a stark warning about an "aggressive Beijing" as tensions rise in the South China Sea.

The Philippines' Brigadier General Michael Logico has poured scorn on China's territorial claims, warning: "They're acting like they have the sole ownership of these waters but the waters do not belong to them."

His words come amid skyrocketing tensions with China, which is making aggressive claims to territory on both sides of the Philippines.

In response, joint naval drills with the United States - the Balikatan exercises - are ongoing in the region.

The drills, whose name means "shoulder to shoulder" in Tagalog, involve thousands of troops from multiple nations.

The joint military exercises are being conducted by 9,000 troops from the Philippines, 5,000 from the US, and 200 from Australia.

Philippine Army Brigadier General Michael Logico, pictured with US Marine Corps Colonel Doug Krugman

France, South Korea and Britain have also sent observers to the three-week drills.

For the first time, the US has deployed "ship killer" missiles, known as NMESIS, in a "full battle test" in Batanes, a province in the Filipino north.

That follows last year's exercise in which US Typhon missile systems were "left behind" in what appears to be an effort to arm the Philippines by stealth.

Speaking to The Times at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila, Brigadier General Logico described China's actions as "illegal and coercive".

PICTURED: American and Australian vessels sail through the South China Sea

He highlighted the strategic importance of the Bashi Channel, the 60-mile body of water between Taiwan and Batanes.

"We have to secure that area, because once other regional players want to make more aggressive moves on that part of the region, we will definitely be involved," Logico said.

"Because of our proximity, we belong to that battlespace," he added.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, putting it in direct conflict with the Philippines and other nations.

Xi Jinping's China claims almost all of the South China Sea, putting it in direct conflict with the Philippines

Manila and Beijing gave conflicting accounts of a confrontation near Scarborough Shoal, where the Philippines claimed to have "driven out" a Chinese research vessel.

The Chinese military accused the Filipinos of "aggressive and unsafe" behaviour.

Chinese vessels have also staked claims to Sandy Cay, a coral reef also claimed by Vietnam.

And to the north, China continues "intense and menacing" air and sea exercises near Taiwan.