Philippines says China poses 'existential' threat in South China Sea

The Philippines faces an «existential issue» from Beijing's threats in the contested South China Sea and will not back down from asserting its claims despite Chinese «bullying», its defence secretary has said.

Beijing and Manila are locked in a territorial dispute in the South China Sea, where confrontations have escalated in recent months. China claims nearly all of the resource-rich waters, but the Philippines has taken a more assertive stance under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

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