China's claims in the South China Sea overlap with those of the Philippines, which is a U.S. security treaty ally.

The United States is not a party to the issue of the South China Sea and has no right to interfere in maritime issues between China and the Philippines, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday after Washington and Manila made unwarranted remarks against Beijing.

There will always be border disputes in Asia, and China should not be singled out because of tensions in the South China Sea, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Wednesday.

He says Malaysia may have border issues with neighbours, but still manages to cultivate good relations. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Caught off guard, the Philippines’ only available counter was to run a U.S.-donated World War II-era Navy ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, aground at nearby Second Thomas Shoal in 1999. As we will see below, this makeshift military outpost would become a key flashpoint in the years to come.

Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio exchanged views on maritime security in the South China Sea.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers met this year under the regional bloc’s new chair, Malaysia, seeking a breakthrough over Myanmar’s drawn-out civil war and territorial disputes in the South China Sea

Reich also criticises Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship - where anyone born in the US becomes a citizen - saying it's a violation of the US constitution: "Decent people could lose their citizenship... children could lose their parents...some parents may not have the right papers."

Researchers exploring the wares of fishers in Vietnam discovered a “supergiant” sea bug species whose resemblance to Darth Vader inspired its name.

UNITED States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said China's behavior in the South China Sea undermined regional peace and stability and is inconsistent with international law.

In a call with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, Rubio “underscored the United States’ ironclad commitments to the Philippines under our Mutual Defense Treaty,” US Department of State spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.