The Philippines and China will establish direct communication between their foreign ministries to avoid "miscalculation and miscommunication" in the hotly disputed South China Sea, Manila said Thursday. Marcos has insisted he will not let China trample on the Philippines' maritime rights in the sea -- in contrast to his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who was reluctant to criticise the superpower. Manila refers to the waters immediately west of the Philippines as the West Philippine Sea. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has ignored an international court ruling that its claims have no legal basis. China has reinforced its stance in the South China Sea by ripping up thousands of hectares of reef to create new land for artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago.

Source: The Standard December 29, 2022 21:45 UTC