Philippines widens search for allies as Trump fuels uncertainty

MANILA -- Many times in recent years, Philippine naval vessels have been isolated and surrounded in the South China Sea by more heavily armed and numerous Chinese ships.

These days, though, more and more countries are reaching out to the Philippines to show that it is not alone. Just last month, Manila agreed on legal frameworks with New Zealand and Canada for joint military exercises and received visits from the U.K. foreign secretary, the Japanese defense secretary, a Singapore Navy landing ship and, from France, the country's Asia-Pacific naval commander and the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. Germany's defense chief, meanwhile, hosted Philippine Armed Forces Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr. in Munich.