A seat on the UNSC would allow Manila to spotlight China’s sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea, which conflict with the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone

Manila would be able to raise South China Sea-related issues that could ‘embarrass’ Beijing and nudge it into a compromise, analysts say.

The regional bloc ASEAN and China should make headway on a protracted code of conduct for the South China Sea by tackling thorny "milestone issues", including its scope and if it can be legally binding,

THE PHILIPPINES and the US held joint maritime exercises for a fifth time in the South China Sea, Manila’s armed forces said on Sunday, in a move that could irk China. The Philippine military said in a statement it held a “maritime cooperative activity” with the US on Friday and Saturday,

The protest stems from the presence of two coast guard vessels on Jan. 5 and Jan. 10 in and around the disputed Scarborough shoal

The Philippines and China agreed to seek common ground and find ways to cooperate despite their disagreements in the South China Sea, their foreign ministries said on Thursday, as heated rows persist over vessels deployed around disputed features.

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.

Manila and Taipei, facing PLA confrontations, may need to depend less on the US and appeal to Trump’s transactional nature, analysts say.

The Philippines used its latest maritime talks with China to directly condemn the rotating fleet of Chinese Coast Guard vessels patrolling unusually close to Zambales since early January.

The Philippines said it expressed "serious concern” over the presence of Chinese vessels near its shores during talks with China on their South China Sea dispute.

Officials from the Philippines and China have held talks on the disputed South China Sea. Manila expressed "serious concern" over Beijing's deployment of its largest coast guard ship in Philippine waters.

The Philippines has accused a giant Chinese coast guard vessel it dubbed as the “Monster” of maintaining an “illegal presence” in its exclusive economic zone as Beijing ramps up activities in the disputed South China Sea.