The STAR Cover | Philstar.com

During the 2022 election period, the South China Sea dispute became an issue in the face of China’s continuous militarization of the land features controlled in the disputed waters.

China will hold naval exercises in the South China Sea on Saturday, its maritime authority said, after a week of recrimination from Western powers over its military ambitions across the Pacific region.

"Beijing giving the Marcos admin a preview of what it can expect," AMTI Director Gregory Poling said.

"We talk to China consistently with a firm voice... We cannot go to war... so we have to continue to discuss with them the conflicting claims that we have with China and that China has with other members of the ASEAN," Marcos said.

"What is particularly dangerous is that the United States plays the 'Taiwan card' and 'South China Sea card' to bring chaos to the region," Wang said, according to Xinhua.