China’s former deputy foreign minister Fu Ying said Beijing would not accept occupation of a World War II-era ship that Manila grounded in the area.

"All countries are expected to respect freedom of navigation and overflight in and above international sea lines of communication, such as the South China Sea, and to avoid interference in legitimate activities conducted in international waters and airspace," the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, discussed “coordination on addressing China’s destabilizing actions in the South China Sea” and increased economic cooperation in a meeting in Munich on Friday,

The Philippines, facing ongoing tensions with China in the South China Sea, is reinforcing its defense alliances by finalizing agreements with Canada and New Zealand and expanding military drills with the US.

He confirmed that for the first time in election history, China’s aggressive incursions in the West Philippine Sea – waters within the South China Sea that Manila considers its maritime territory which includes its exclusive economic zone – had become a hot-button election issue.

China accused Australia on Friday of deliberately provoking it with a maritime patrol in the disputed South China Sea this week, saying the latter was spreading "false narratives", though Australia maintained its action adhered to international law.

The strengthening of the United States-Philippines alliance through economic cooperation and bilateral coordination in the South China Sea are among the

US think tank report says Washington can initiate 'virtuous cycle of de-escalatory steps' to reduce risk and help Manila bolster its lawful claims The United States should avoid a frontal military role in countering Beijing's actions in the South China Sea and instead enable the Philippines to take the lead,

Australia said Thursday that a Chinese fighter jet dropped flares near an Australian air force plane patrolling the South China Sea, accusing Beijing of “unsafe” military conduct. Beijing swiftly hit back,