Global Impact: As uncertainties swirl over South China Sea, joint exercises and heightened tensions reverberate within the neighbourhood

In the strategically important South China Sea, Philippine and Chinese ships have become embroiled in increasingly frequent naval skirmishes, including two recent collisions near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal.

Tensions appeared to have eased somewhat after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr told President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit last month that disputes over the waterway should not define bilateral ties.