Despite rising maritime tensions with China, the Philippines is keeping the door open for possible joint oil and gas exploration with Beijing in the South China Sea.

The Philippines has not received any opposition from other countries regarding its position and activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) except for

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo on ... coordination on addressing China’s destabilizing actions in the South China Sea and increasing economic ...

Ambassador Jose Romualdez, who has had meetings with Trump’s diplomatic, defense and congressional officials, said the U.S. would likely maintain its support to help modernize the Philippine military, which is at the forefront of deterring China’s growing assertiveness in the disputed waters.