Despite proclaiming a “one China” policy, Manila has been moving toward greater economic and security cooperation with Taipei.

In 2023, a typhoon brought sustained heavy rains to southern China, triggering inundations in Hong Kong and other areas. Deluges around the city of Maoming in Guangdong province caused a lake at a commercial crocodile farm to overflow with over 70 animals escaping, local media reported.

The country has been gradually expanding military cooperation with the U.S., Japan, and Beijing-claimed Taiwan.

China’s Education Ministry has issued a safety warning for Chinese students in the Philippines, following what it describes as a series of criminal incidents targeting Chinese nationals.

Manila’s significant shift could pave the way for the Philippines, an American treaty ally, to play a bigger role in regional defense if China invades Taiwan.

The deployment of the Mid-Range Capability, or Typhon, system in the region has repeatedly irritated China. The US sees it as a key capability.

A tropical storm is intensifying and is expected to reach typhoon strength before hitting southern China's coast on Sunday.

The Philippines and China held the 9th Joint Consular Consultation in Beijing on 22 July 2025 to discuss the safety, rights, and welfare of their