LANGKAWI, Malaysia (Reuters) - The regional bloc ASEAN and China should make headway on a protracted code of conduct for the South China Sea by tackling thorny "milestone issues", including its scope and if it can be legally binding, the Philippines' top diplomat said on Saturday.

The Philippine Navy on Friday said it held drills near a disputed South China Sea shoal, where a large Chinese vessel was spotted patrolling.

The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines says that nearly 200 Afghan nationals have been flown on to the United States after having their special immigration visas processed in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines accused China on Tuesday of intimidating its fishermen at a disputed South China Sea shoal, and normalizing an “illegal presence,” after Beijing sent its largest coast guard vessel into Manila’s maritime zone.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers gathered Sunday for their first meeting 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.

Japan, the Philippines and the United States vowed to further deepen cooperation under a trilateral arrangement in the face of rising tensions in Asia's waters, the three countries said following a call among their leaders.

The Philippines has accused a giant Chinese coast guard vessel it dubbed as the “Monster” of maintaining an “illegal presence” in its exclusive economic zone as Beijing ramps up activities in the disputed South China Sea.

The Philippines says that it temporarily blocked the largest vessel in China's Coast Guard fleet—and the world—from sailing closer to the coast of the heavily populated island of Luzon ...

A Philippine security official says China is “pushing us to the wall” with growing aggression in the disputed South China Sea and warned that “all options are on the table” for Manila’s response, incl

Philippines National Security Council spokesperson said Manila was surprised by China’s ‘increasing aggression’.

The Philippines and mutual defense treaty ally United States conducted a two-day bilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) in West Philippine Sea