Latest discussions came days after the Philippines accused China of encroaching on its exclusive economic zone near Scarborough Shoal.

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines accused China on Tuesday of intimidating its fishermen at a disputed South China Sea shoal, and normalizing an “illegal presence,” after Beijing sent its largest coast guard vessel into Manila’s maritime zone.

Trump’s transactional diplomacy risks complicating the hedging of stakeholders from Philippines to Vietnam, and adding unpredictability for China.

The Philippines has threatened international lawsuits against China for the action, which it says is another sign of the country's ongoing aggression in the area.

Japan, the Philippines and the United States vowed to further deepen cooperation under a trilateral arrangement in the face of rising tensions in Asia's waters, the three countries said following a call among their leaders.

Tensions between Beijing and Manila have intensified in recent months concerning the South China Sea, a region spanning 3.5 million square kilometers (1.35 million square miles) through which an estimated $11.3 billion in global trade passes annually, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Philippines’ Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo discusses how his nation navigates tensions in the South China Sea, and how he expects Manila-Washington ties to develop under the incoming Trump administration,

China’s relations are starting to improve with Japan, India and other countries that former U.S. President Joe Biden courted, just as Donald Trump brings his more unilateralist approach back to the Wh

China’s relations aren’t improving with every U.S. partner. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has aggressively resisted China’s increasingly assertive stance in their territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Fortunately, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong thought a full split was unlikely: "I can’t see how a full decoupling can happen at this stage."

Jakarta’s negotiations to acquire the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from India have gained momentum ahead of president Prabowo Subianto’s visit as the Republic Day chief guest