China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier strike group sailed beyond the first island chain to reach the southernmost waters of the Philippines before heading northeast on Friday, a move that suggests an intent to position itself closer to joint US-Japan exercises, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Philippine news channel BNC, cited by the paper, reported that the group reached about 25 nautical miles (46km) east-southeast of Balut Island, the southernmost point of the country. The group has four ships, including the Type 055 large guided-missile destroyers Wuxi and Anshan and the Type 052D destroyer Huainan. According to the SCMP, the USS Theodore Roosevelt is taking part in the Keen Sword exercise in the Philippine Sea alongside warships from Japan, Australia, Canada and France.