China should recognise that the Philippines is an independent and sovereign state whose actions and decisions are driven entirely by national interest and not at the direction of other countries, Manila's foreign ministry said on Monday.

Statement comes after China accuses Philippines of ‘acting as others’ chess pieces’ regarding South China Sea dispute - Anadolu Ajansı

The Philippines’ top diplomat to the United States expressed confidence Monday that President Donald Trump’s new administration would continue military patrols in the disputed South China Sea and move ahead with an agreed expansion of the U.

China should recognise that the Philippines is an independent and sovereign state whose actions and decisions are driven entirely by national interest and not at the direction of other countries, Manila's foreign ministry said on Monday.

Britain is concerned by China's "dangerous and destabilising" activity in the South China Sea, British foreign minister David Lammy said on Monday. "We are concerned by dangerous and destabilising activities by China in the South China Sea,

In a video partly filmed alongside a vessel belonging to the Philippine Coast Guard, Lammy on March 10 condemned "dangerous and destabilising activities" by Beijing in the South China Sea. China claims the strategically important waterway in nearly its entirety,

China has called on the United Kingdom to respect its interests in the South China Sea and avoid provoking tensions in the region. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning made the call on Tuesday.