WASHINGTON DC, April 25 -- The Philippines and the United States are considering maritime law enforcement operations within the country's waters to promote a "law-based" order in the South China Sea, a ranking official said Wednesday.

Senior government officials from the two countries met for the 11th Bilateral Strategic Dialogue (BSD) here on April 22 and 23 and reiterated the need to maintain peace and security in the maritime domain.

The two governments, in a joint statement released Wednesday night (Washington DC time), said they would "consider and develop, as appropriate, procedures and protocols on cooperative maritime law enforcement operations."

It noted that this possible activity would be "in accordance with international la...