U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad" commitment to a defence treaty with the Philippines on Friday and pledged to deploy advanced capabilities to its partner to strengthen a deterrence against threats,

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Friday that the U.S. intends to boost military ties with the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the Trump administration will work with allies to ramp up deterrence against threats across the world, including China’s aggression in the South China Sea

Tens of thousands of supporters of arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte flooded the streets of Davao City on his 80th birthday on Friday, calling for his return to the Philippines from International Criminal Court custody.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is marking his 80th birthday in detention in the Netherlands after the International Criminal Court ordered his arrest

The United States, Japan and the Philippines have staged joint naval drills to boost crisis readiness off a disputed South China Sea shoal as a Chinese military ship kept watch from a distance.

The action took place amid ongoing efforts by the Philippines to enlist countries outside the region for so-called "joint patrols" and hype and spread its unlawful claims in the South China Sea, said Tian Junli, spokesperson for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command.

China's military said it had conducted a patrol in the South China Sea on Friday, the day U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reaffirmed Washington's commitment to Manila, which disputes some of Beijing's claims in the waterway.