A Philippine plane warned a Chinese military helicopter over the South China Sea that it was "flying too close," as tension between the U.S. ally and Beijing soars.

While Russia's war against Ukraine and a wavering transatlantic alliance drew the world's attention at this year's Munich Security Conference, sparks also flew over claims in the Sea as debate involving participants representing Beijing and Manila dug into their positions in the region.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, discussed “coordination on addressing China’s destabilizing actions in the South China Sea” and increased economic cooperation in a meeting in Munich on Friday,

The Philippines is stepping up efforts to strengthen its defence partnerships as tensions with China persist in the South China Sea. Manila is working to finalise defence agreements with Canada and New Zealand while also looking to expand joint military drills with the United States,