Chinese coastguard spokesman insists it ‘took the initiative to retrieve the blocking facilities and resume normal control on September 23’.

Beijing backed down last month over the Second Thomas Shoal but won’t do so this time, analyst says.

In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jnr agreed to find a ‘good way’ to resolve the issue.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr calls for more direct investment into the Philippines in areas including infrastructure, power generation, agriculture and renewable energy.

Ex-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been urged by former leader Gloria Arroyo to return to the political arena amid calls for Duterte to be a special envoy to Beijing.

President Marcos Jnr says misleading narratives deny the Philippines its independence and agency, and disregard its legitimate interests.

China’s ‘temporary special arrangement’ allowing delivery of food and supplies to old warship seen as attempt to prevent international resistance and isolation from Southeast Asian neighbours.

The mission comes 2 weeks after China Coastguard ships fired water cannon at Philippine vessels and charter boats carrying supplies to the Filipino troops on a grounded WWII-era warship at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands.

While Vietnam and China are close ideologically, the long-standing and increasingly volatile maritime dispute could bring Southeast Asia’s Manila and Hanoi closer together, say analysts.

China says the Philippines reneged on its promise to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Second Thomas Shoal. But a former defence chief for Manila says no such agreement ever existed.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo says the Philippines is just trying to protect its sovereignty in its exclusive economic zone.

Recent high-profile trade deals signed between Beijing and Manila show how economically reliant the two sides have become on each other despite diplomatic rows, but the Philippines remains wary of trade risks.

The move comes after the US last week voiced disquiet over the projects near its embassy and their ties with a Chinese firm blacklisted by Washington.

The economic concerns come on top of the South China Sea maritime dispute that Manila and Beijing have long been locked in.

The actress has come under fire for flaunting jewellery made from centuries-old excavated gold at a recent fundraiser gala attended by celebrities and politicians in Manila.

Malaysia – a vocal critic of the junta – and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have previously rejected any possibility of dialogue because of human rights issues.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr underscored his administration’s resolve to defend the country’s territory through diplomacy in a key speech but did not mention China.

The Philippine leader is ‘trying to restore the name of his father’ with a series of programmes that echo those implemented by Marcos Snr.

Chinese president urged former Philippine leader to ‘play an important role’ in promoting relations between the two nations.

The country’s first-ever sovereign wealth fund has been touted as a way to accelerate growth, after earlier sparking transparency concerns over how it would be managed and financed.

Chinese president receives former Philippine leader in Beijing, telling him ‘I hope you will continue to play an important role in the friendly cooperation’.

Miss Saigon star talks about her excitement at heading the first all-Filipino Broadway show, Here Lies Love, which tells the story of the Philippines’ Marcos dictatorship and the anti-Marcos People Power Revolution.