HONOLULU, May 3 — Damage to Philippine vessels and injuries to their crew in the South China Sea is "irresponsible behaviour" in disregard of international law, United States (US) Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said yesterday, weighing in on the latest flare-up involving China.

BEIJING/MANILA, April 30—The Philippines has accused China's Coast Guard of harassing and damaging one of its boats in a disputed area of the South China Sea, and rejected Beijing's position that it had expelled two vessels from the hotly contested shoal.

MANILA, April 18 — The Philippines' decision to ramp up ties with Japan and the United States is a "sovereign choice", its foreign ministry said on Thursday, urging China to "reflect upon its own actions" in the South China Sea.

BEIJING, April 11 — China has banned the senior executives of two United States (US) defence companies from entering the country and froze their property in response to their arms sales to Taiwan, said its Foreign Ministry today.

MANILA — The upcoming trilateral summit between the United States (US), Philippines, and Japan will include an agreement to maintain security and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

MANILA, April 8 — Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has called on China today to talk to prevent more incidents like ramming vessels and the use of water cannons in the South China Sea.

PARIS, April 5 — The Philippines has reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, at a poultry farm in the centre of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Thursday.

MANILA, April 1 — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has ordered his government to strengthen its coordination on maritime security to confront "a range of serious challenges" to territorial integrity and peace as a dispute with China escalates.

BEIJING, March 25 — Beijing calls on Manila to stop violations and provocations near the Second Thomas Shoal, also known as Ren'ai Reef in Mandarin, in the South China Sea, following a recent incident between a Philippine vessel and Chinese coast guards, Chinese National Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Sunday.

MANILA/SHANGHAI, March 23 — China's Coast Guard said it had taken control measures against Philippine vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea today, while the Philippine Coast Guard decried the moves as "irresponsible and provocative".

BEIJING, March 20 — China has said the United States (US) must refrain from "stirring up trouble" or taking sides on the South China Sea issue, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a security deal with the Manila extended to attacks on the Philippine Coast Guard.

SYDNEY, March 4 — Australia said on Monday the Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asian countries are facing serious defence threats as it set aside more funds for a maritime security pact with Asean countries during a summit with the Southeast Asian bloc.

MANILA, Feb 23 — The Philippines is now the first Asian country to ratify a convention to end workplace violence and harassment, said the International Labour Organisation (ILO) today.

SHANGHAI, Feb 3 — China has said a small civilian vessel from the Philippines had "illegally placed itself on the beach" of an atoll in the South China Sea which both countries claim.

MANILA, Feb 2 — The alliance between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte disintegrated this week when they accused each other of using drugs — a rift which threatens Marcos's reform agenda and risks fuelling instability.

MANILA, Feb 1 — Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has approved the third phase of the military's modernisation, which includes the purchase of the country's first submarine, in order to defend its maritime sovereignty in the disputed South China Sea.

MANILA, Jan 31 — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said there is no rift between his Vice President Sara Duterte and himself, after both her brother and father strongly criticised him.

MANILA, Jan 29 — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

MANILA, Jan 24 — The Philippines Armed Forces will guarantee the "unimpeded and peaceful" exploration and exploitation of natural resources within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as it shifts its focus to external defence, said Manila's Defense Secretary.

JAKARTA, Jan 23 — The Asean region experienced 22 disasters in the third week of the year, with floods, landslides, and wind-related incidents wreaking havoc, especially in Indonesia and the Philippines.