MANILA (Reuters) -Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Tuesday that the country will not send its navy to support Filipino fishers in a contested shoal in the South China Sea despite a recent incident with Chinese vessels.

Diplomats and representatives from the militaries and coast guards of the United States, Japan and the Philippines had a maritime dialogue against a backdrop of clashes involving Philippine and Chinese vessels in the South China Sea.

The United States has deployed a reconnaissance aircraft while Japan and the Philippines sent navy ships in a joint patrol in the disputed South China Sea two days after the allied forces condemned actions by Chinese coast guard vessels against Philippine patrol ships.

The Philippines' foreign ministry said on Thursday it has filed a diplomatic protest against China over a Dec. 4 maritime incident in the contested Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Thursday's

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his nation won’t deploy Navy warships to the South China Sea in response to recent clashes with Beijing in disputed waters.Most Read from BloombergBrace

A U.S. destroyer performed a freedom of navigation operation in the Spratly Islands on Friday, U.S. 7th Fleet announced. USS Preble (DDG-88) sailed within 12 nautical miles of Swallow Reef, a Navy official told USNI News.

China and the Philippines gave conflicting versions on Wednesday of a maritime confrontation around a contested shoal in the South China Sea, the latest row in a longstanding dispute between the neighbours.

The South China Sea, with its many strategic islands, is one of the biggest maritime routes in the world and has been a flashpoint between China and its neighbors. Naval aggression between the various nations is not new but follows a month of respite.

President says such a move in response to clash with Chinese vessels in Scarborough Shoal will be provocative and seen as an escalation.