A protestor holds a placard during a rally regarding the disputed islands in the South China Sea, in front of the Chinese Consulate in Makati city, metro Manila, April 9, 2016. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco
MANILA (Reuters) - Defence officials from the Philippines and Vietnam will meet this week to explore possible joint exercises and navy patrols, military sources said, shoring up a new alliance between states locked in maritime rows with China.
Ties have strengthened between the two Southeast Asian countries as China's assertiveness intensifies with a rapid buildup of man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago, to which Vietnam and the Philippines lay claim.
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