Philippine fishing boats claimed they were harassed by China, labelling the incident as a "blatant disregard" of a regulation preventing collisions at sea.

The Philippines will soon decide on an international platform to sue China for alleged damage to the marine environment, its justice minister said, as it pursues a second high-profile legal challenge against Beijing over the South China Sea.

Beijing and Manila have agreed to continue talks on settling their territorial differences despite Philippine protests about the presence of a Chinese "monster ship" near the contested Scarborough Shoal.

Chinese cutters, small boats and aircraft blocked a Philippine scientific research mission to the South China Sea features of Sand Cay on Friday, according to Philippine officials. BRP Datu Pagbuaya (MMOV-3003) and BRP Datu Bankaw (MMOV-3004),

The Philippines said on Saturday it has suspended a scientific survey in the South China Sea after two of its fisheries vessels faced "harassment" and aggressive behaviour from China's coast guard and navy.

Tensions have prevailed over aggressive Chinese assertions in the waters. Beijing's claims overlap with exclusive economic zones of several countries in the region, including Indonesia.

Chinese coast guard ships and a Chinese navy helicopter harassed a group of Philippine fisheries vessels conducting a scientific survey in a hotly disputed area of the South China Sea, forcing them to cancel the operation,

As Jakarta deepens military and coastguard cooperation while rejecting Beijing's sweeping claims, can it maintain a precarious equilibrium? Indonesia is walking a fine line between bolstering ties with Beijing and preserving its long-standing non-aligned stance.