US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo, in a meeting in Munich on Friday (Feb 14), discussed bilateral coordination in the South China Sea and increasing economic cooperation,

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,

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 While Russia's war against Ukraine and a wavering transatlantic alliance drew the world's attention at this year's Munich Security Conference,

The Philippines is stepping up efforts to strengthen its defence partnerships as tensions with China persist in the South China Sea. Manila is working to finalise defence agreements with Canada and New Zealand while also looking to expand joint military drills with the United States,