The Philippines and Australia on Wednesday discussed the possibility of joint patrols in the South China Sea, days after the Philippines held similar talks with the United States, Reuters reported.

Australian Defense Secretary Richard Marles met with his Philippine counterpart Carlito Galvez in Manila. They shared their plans to deepen security ties between the countries.

Before meeting with Marles, Galvez had a phone talk with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in which they discussed a decision to resume their countries' joint maritime activities in the South China Sea, the Pentagon said earlier.

The Philippines has sovereign claims over a strategically important waterway at odds with Chinese interests and is stepping up its efforts to counter what it calls China's aggressive activities in the South China Sea, which has also become a flashpoint for tensions between China and the United States over naval operations.

Military ties between Australia and the Philippines date back to 1922, and both countries have a current Status of Forces Agreement in place to provide a comprehensive legal and operational framework for defense cooperation.