The armed forces of the Philippines, the United States, and four other countries have begun joint naval exercises off the coast of the Philippines' northern Luzon, which borders Taiwan, according to Reuters.

The Philippines accused Chinese maritime officials on Friday of carrying out an "unjustified assault" on Vietnamese fishermen in the contested waters of the South China Sea, adding its voice to a fraught dispute over the confrontation.

The nations’ leaders committed to deepening maritime cooperation on Monday, as they upgraded relations and agreed to closer coastguard ties.

SUBIC, Philippines (Reuters) -- The armed forces of the Philippines, the United States and four other countries began joint naval exercises off the coast of the Philippines' northern Luzon island facing Taiwan in a display of naval strength amid rising tensions with China.

The Philippines and South Korea upgraded their ties as a response to growing geopolitical tensions in East Asia

The Philippine Coast Guard said it is keeping an eye on China’s next move at a disputed South China Sea shoal that has become the latest flashpoint in the two nations’ maritime spat.

The Philippines on Friday denounced China 's alleged assault of Vietnamese fishermen in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing are also locked in violent confrontations that have led to fears of armed conflict.

Vietnam has condemned China, saying that Chinese law enforcement personnel assaulted 10 Vietnamese fishermen, damaged their fishing gear and seized about 4 tons of fish catch near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

The Philippines‘ foreign ministry said on Friday it was aware of what it described as a “serious incident” between Vietnamese fishermen and Chinese maritime authorities late last month. “The Philippines has consistently denounced the use of force,