MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday warned that a "more assertive" China poses a "real challenge" to its Asian neighbors.

He said the Philippines and the region need to find new solutions to issues in the South China Sea, which he called "the most complex geopolitical challenge that the world faces."

Marcos made the remarks as he told the Japanese media that tensions in the South China Sea "have increased rather than diminished" in the past months or years, according to the Presidential Communications Office.

"I cannot say that we have found the answer yet. We are still trying to formulate that answer as we speak. And things are moving very quickly in many parts of the China Sea and so there are changes in terms of approaches," he said.

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The Philippines and China earlier traded accusations over a collision of their vessels in disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea as tensions over claims in the vital waterway escalated.

Marcos said amid the tensions, Manila continues to promote peace and communication between countries and "everyone that is involved."

China claims a large part of the South China Sea, including the part in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and continental shelf called the West Philippine Sea.

China has rejected a 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidates its nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea.

Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan are also claimants to parts of the strategic waterway.

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Western nations like the US, UK and Canada as well as regional blocs like the European Union are also keeping a close watch on the South China Sea and on how China's actions in the tense waters will affect freedom of navigation and the flow of goods in the region.

Marcos is in Tokyo to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations -Japan Commemorative Summit, his last foreign trip for 2023.

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