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.

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.

Both countries agreed to continue their dialogue through diplomatic channels. Xianbin Reef, also known as Sabina Shoal, is in disputed waters of the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands, which China calls the Nansha Islands.