China should not overreact to the joint exercise the US, the Philippines, Japan, and Australia conducted recently since the activity was done in open water and within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, a top US official said on Wednesday (US time).

Speaking to the media at the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said international law allows the US and its allies to sail in the South China Sea (SCS).

“I can’t speak for the (People’s Republic of China) reaction, one way or another, except to say there is no reason to overreact to this,” Kirby said.

“This is about freedom of navigation. It’s about adherence to international law. It’s about proving the simple point that we and our allies will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law permits us to do so, and it does in the South China Sea, and we did,” he added.

China, which has been asserting its maritime rights to nearly the entire SCS, had earlier criticized the joint marine cooperative activity, saying it could cause problems in the area.