ISTANBUL

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Tuesday pressed for regular joint military drills with allies, including Cambodia, amid “emerging security challenges” in the disputed South China Sea.

Marcos made the statement during a bilateral meeting with visiting Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet in the capital Manila, Philippine News Agency reported.

Marcos said he intended to boost cooperation and collaboration between the two countries over diverse areas of mutual interest to reach “peace and stability” in the region.

“I hope to see more similar and frequent engagement, especially as cooperation amongst our countries is needed in dealing with emerging security challenges,” Marcos said about a joint Philippines-Cambodia training exercise last year.

“We continue to coordinate and to synchronize our efforts with our neighbors around the South China Sea and Indo-Pacific Region,” he added.

The Philippines and Cambodia have maintained ties since 1957.

Marcos’ statement came as tensions between the Philippines and China continue in disputed waters following the return to the US presidency of Donald Trump, who has sought to focus more on domestic issues.

Manila is the oldest ally of the US in the Asia-Pacific region, where the US army has access to Filipino military bases.

Under Marcos, the Philippines has strengthened ties with Japan as well as Australia and has held regular drills with their forces.

Beijing has raised concern over Manila's drift to the US.

Marcos recently asked Beijing to stop its "coercive behavior" in the region in exchange for Manila to return its Typhon Missile system to the US.