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 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: Senator Marco Rubio, US President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the State Department, said China should “stop messing around” with the Philippines and Taiwan, noting that its “deeply destabilising” actions in the region are compelling the US to “counteract.

A Philippine security official says China is “pushing us to the wall” with growing aggression in the disputed South China Sea and warned that “all options are on the table” for Manila’s response, incl

Philippines protests presence of ‘monster ship’ amid fears of status quo shift in South China Sea - Manila says Chinese vessels detected near disputed Scarborough shoal

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.

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

Companies explore oil and gas projects in the country’s deep waters as Manila seeks to diversify its energy sources.

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.

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.