The Philippines is returning to port a coast guard vessel anchored in the contested Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea after a five-month deployment as its mission is accomplished, the maritime council said on Sunday.

Maritime and aerial spats in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines, Washington’s oldest treaty ally in the Indo-Pacific, will be a key talking point in high-level meetings between the U.

MANILA (Reuters) -Relations between Manila and Beijing have soured under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, with Manila pivoting back towards the United States which supports the Southeast Asian nation in its maritime disputes with China.