Australia does not believe its strengthened military alliance with the Philippines will necessarily create tension in the South China Sea. Australian Ambassador to the Philippines HK Yu said that Canberra's enhanced military partnership with the Philippines, which includes more joint maritime exercises, is only a form of "deterrence" and "diplomacy." "What we are doing is not a form of escalation... We have to show that we have capabilities to protect our sovereignty and our national interests," Yu said on Wednesday on the sidelines of a forum hosted by Stratbase ADR Institute. The envoy's position came as she lamented about dangerous behaviors in the South China Sea. She said it has been seven years since the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) issued a ruling, recognizing the Philippine sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea, yet the world continues "to see the behavior that we don't want to see." China has since refused to accept the ruling and has been conducting dangerous maneuvers, aggressive actions and incursions into the Philippine waters. "We can't give up. We have to remain united and work together to create the region that we want to live in," Yu urged Australia's allied nations. Yu said Canberra is "walking the talk" as it is following through with its actions. She said Canberra is not only stressing the importance of the international law and the arbitral award, but also doing several actions to ensure that they are being respected. "You just have to look at the number of exercises, training that we're now carrying out... to show how serious we are about walking the talk," she said. "And that actually now expanded to our work with your Philippine Coast Guard as well because, let's face it, they are often now the frontline of this enormous challenge that's facing the Philippines," she added.