The Philippines said a Chinese maritime militia vessel “deliberately sideswiped” and caused minor damage on a government fisheries boat in the South China Sea amid lingering tensions between the two nations in the disputed waters.

The annual Kamandag, or Venom, exercises are focussed on defending the north coast of the Philippine’s main island of Luzon, which lies about 800 kilometres (500 miles) from self-ruled Taiwan

Thousands of US and Filipino marines launched 10 days of joint exercises in the northern and western Philippines on Tuesday, a day after China held huge drills around Taiwan.The joint US-Filipino exercises come amid a series of escalating confrontations between China and the Philippines over reefs and waters in the South China Sea,

Taiwan's military says it is staying on guard after China finished a day of military exercises around the island.