The Philippines will soon decide on an international platform to sue China for alleged damage to the marine environment, its justice minister said, as it pursues a second high-profile legal challenge against Beijing over the South China Sea.

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.

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, including new international lawsuits.

The US secretary of state opens his term by reaffirming Washington’s commitment to the Philippines and other regional allies.

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,

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the United States' defense commitment to the Philippines in a conversation with Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo, discussing China's destabilizing actions in the South China Sea and the strengthening of economic and security cooperation within the region.