The newly installed Trump administration has quickly reaffirmed America’s strong support for the Philippines in the face of an increasingly aggressive China in the disputed South China Sea, despite doubts to the contrary voiced by some observers.

There will always be border disputes in Asia, and China should not be singled out because of tensions in the South China Sea, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Wednesday.

The Chinese military has conducted two-day joint combat readiness patrols in the contested South China Sea. This marked the first such patrol of the year, heightening tensions with the Philippines and other regional stakeholders.

He says Malaysia may have border issues with neighbours, but still manages to cultivate good relations. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers are gathering for their first meeting this year under the regional bloc’s new chair, Malaysia, seeking a breakthrough over Myanmar’s drawn-out civil war and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

China on Wednesday said its activities and claims over the South China Sea are legitimate and “completely justified”, reacting to the Quad Foreign Ministers’ assertions “strongly” opposing any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion in the Indo Pacific region.

Partnering with Southeast Asia is “vital for regional peace and stability,” Japan’s top diplomat says during Manila visit.

The Philippines and the United States carried out joint maritime exercises for a fifth time in the South China Sea, Manila’s armed forces said on Sunday, in

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.

Manila calls the presence of the Chinese vessel 'illegal' and 'unacceptable', deploying two of the Philippine Coastguard's largest ships to drive it away

Southeast Asia must build stronger maritime governance based on science and international law to protect both regional peace and the millions of people who depend on its seas for survival, the Philippines' top diplomat said.

China on Thursday again urged the Philippines to pull out the Typhon missile launchers of the United States after they were reportedly moved to another location in Luzon. “We once again call on the Philippines to heed the call from regional countries and their peoples,