American and Philippine defense secretaries unveiled a task force designed to deter Chinese coercion in the South China Sea and enhance alliance defense cooperation. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro announced “Task Force Philippines” on Friday at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Defense Ministers Meeting Plus in Kuala Lumpur,

The United States and the Philippines have formed a new joint task force to strengthen cooperation and increase military readiness in areas including the South China Sea, the Pentagon said on Friday.The announcement followed a meeting between Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro at a gathering of ASEAN defence ministers in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.

MANILA: The Philippines and Canada signed a visiting forces agreement on Sunday (Nov 2), the latest military pact struck by Manila as it builds a coalition of allies to deter what it sees as Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.

Sweden is eyeing a permanent defence attaché in the Philippines to secure trade lanes against a ‘changed China’ in the Indo-Pacific.

Chinese coast guard ships have used powerful water cannons and rammed a Philippine government vessel near Thitu Island in the South China Sea.

Philippine forces trained last week to defend Balabac, a strategic island in Palawan that is set to host a new military base dedicated to South China Sea operations. Philippine Marines and Coast Guard special forces held joint maritime boarding operations in the vicinity of Balabac Island,

China's military said on Saturday it monitored and tracked a joint patrol organised by the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea on October 30 and.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Saturday that its forces staged naval and air drills with counterparts from the United States, Australia and New Zealand from Thursday to Friday in the disputed South China Sea.

Analysts are cautiously optimistic about the proposed pact as past efforts to lower the temperature in the waterway have had limited success.

Malaysia handed over the chairmanship of Southeast Asia's regional bloc to the Philippines on Tuesday (Oct 28), with territorial disputes in the South China Sea set to

The move, if it occurs, would be in response to China's escalating hostilities near disputed waters as Trump is poised to meet with Xi, sources say.