The Philippine Navy on Friday described as "escalation" the increase of Chinese vessels including boats with upgraded weapons in Ayungin Shoal this week.

Australia and the Philippines plan to enhance their defense cooperation as the Southeast Asian nation boosts ties with allies amid continuing tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea.

The Philippine military has blamed China for a collision between two Chinese navy and coast guard ships in disputed waters

Edison Palattao, a 52-year-old fisherman in Aparri, Cagayan, still can’t move on from how the extraction of river sand made their lives miserable. “It really made our lives worse,” he recalled as he blamed the extraction of sand from the Cagayan River as the reason behind the serious decline in fish and aramang catch.

China has deployed a coast guard ship and other vessels close to the wreck of a long-grounded Philippine military ship in a disputed South China Sea shoal, where Filipino forces have been put on alert.

Since 2023, Manila has stepped up its pushback against China's expanding presence within its maritime zone, at times leading to clashes and raising concerns an incident could trigger the U.S.–Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty. The tensions have driven the Philippines to pursue closer defense ties with the U.S. and several other countries.

U.S. Marines have launched amphibious training in the Philippines with Filipino and Australian troops, shortly after completing a disaster-response mission in the country’s north.