Philippines South China Sea policy

During a meeting with ASEAN counterparts, Li Qiang implied that China and rival claimants could address outstanding disputes without the involvement of outside powers.

The move follows an incident last month in which a Chinese vessel forcibly prevented the resupply of Filipino forces on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal.

Beijing's “new standard” map depicts the country's maximalist claim over nearly the entire South China Sea.

The atoll in the South China Sea has been subject to what some observers have characterized as a Chinese blockade.

Government officials, including two former presidents, have denied Beijing's claim that Manila made an agreement to remove the ship from the disputed shoal.

Enrique Manalo's comments come at a time of growing tension over Second Thomas Shoal, a Philippine-occupied atoll in the Spratly Islands.

The announcement comes at a time of increased Chinese assertiveness in disputed waters.

The Philippine Coast Guard claims that a Chinese vessel used a high-powered water cannon in order to prevent the resupply of the Philippine forces stationed on Second Thomas Shoal.

The resolution, spearheaded by a critic of President Marcos, comes amid growing frictions in disputed waters.

Manila sees a variety of different threats to its maritime security. Each requires a different tool or approach.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused the two nations of "violating the sovereign rights and jurisdictions of Vietnam" in separate recent incidents.

The statement from Washington followed another near-collision between Philippine and Chinese ships in the South China Sea.