Rift deepens between the Philippines, China over South China Sea

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.

Here is a timeline of key events this year that have escalated tensions between the Philippines and China:

JAN 3 - The Philippines and the United States carry out their second joint patrol in the South China Sea as China conducts similar activity with its naval and air forces in the disputed waterway.

MARCH 5 - The Philippines calls out China for its coast guard's "reckless" and "illegal" actions that led to a collision between a Chinese and Philippine ship, damaging the latter and injuring some of its crew, during a resupply mission for troops at the Second Thomas Shoal. China says the Philippine vessels illegally intruded into waters adjacent to the shoal.

MARCH 20 - China says the United States must refrain from "stirring up trouble" or taking sides on the South China Sea issue, after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a security deal with the Philippines extended to attacks on the Philippine coast guard.

MARCH 24 - China's coastguard says it had taken measuresagainst Philippine vessels carrying out a resupply mission for troops at the Second Thomas Shoal. The Philippines decried the moves, including the use of water cannon that damaged its ship and injured its crew, as "irresponsible and provocative".

APRIL 7 - Defence forces of the U.S., Japan, Australia conduct "maritime cooperative activity" in the Philippines' EEZ in the South China Sea.

APRIL 11 - The United States Army deploys its ground-based Typhon missile system as part of joint military drills with the Philippines, the first deployment of its mid-range capability in the Indo-Pacific.

APRIL 16 - The Philippines deploys its coast guard patrol ship, Teresa Magbanua to Sabina shoal to monitor what it suspects to be to be small-scale reclamation activities by China, which denies the accusation.

APRIL 30 - Philippines accuses China's coast guard of harassment and of damaging two of its boats in a disputed area of the South China Sea, rejects Beijing's position that it had expelled those vessels from the hotly contested Scarborough shoal.

MAY 10 - The Philippines' national security adviser calls for the expulsion of Chinese diplomats over an alleged leak of a phone conversation with a senior Filipino navy official.

MAY 15 - A civilian flotilla of Philippine vessels sails towards Scarborough shoal to assert Manila's maritime rights and to hand out supplies to fishermen anchored on the contested shoal.

MAY 20 - Philippines challenges China to open Scarborough shoal to an independent third-party after it accused Beijing of destroying the shoal's marine environment.

MAY 22 - A Philippine navy admiral accuses the Chinese embassy in Manila of recording a phone call without his consent and denies forging a deal with Beijing to ease tensions in the South China Sea.

JUNE 15 - Philippines files a claim with the United Nations for an extended continental shelf in the South China Sea.

JUNE 17 - A Philippine sailor loses a finger after what its military describes as "intentional-high speed ramming" by the Chinese Coast Guard to disrupt a resupply mission for troops stationed on the Second Thomas Shoal. China disputes Manila's account, saying the necessary measures taken were lawful and professional.

JULY 2 - Philippines and China agree to "restore trust" and "rebuild confidence" to better manage maritime disputes during high-level talks on managing disputes in the South China Sea hosted by Manila.

JULY 8 - Philippines and Japan sign landmark military pact allowing deployment of forces on each other's soil in the face of what they see as China's increasingly assertive stance in the region.

JULY 17 - Philippines and China agree to set up new lines of communication to improve their handling of maritime disputes.

JULY 22 - Philippines and China reach a "provisional arrangement" for resupply missions to a beached Filipino naval ship in Second Thomas Shoal.

JULY 27 - The Philippines completed unimpeded a resupply trip to its troops at a disputed South China Sea shoal, the first such mission under a new arrangement with China aimed at cooling tensions.

JULY 30 - The United States pledges funding of $500 million for the Philippines' military and coast guard in a big show of support for Manila as it faces Chinese actions in the South China Sea.

AUG 2 - Philippines and Japan hold first joint military exercises in the South China Sea.

AUG 9 - The Philippines and Vietnam, which have faced off with Beijing in the South China Sea, hold first-ever joint coast guard exercise

AUG 10 - Philippines accuses China's Air Force of carrying out "dangerous manoeuvres" by dropping flares in the path of a Philippine air force aircraft conducting a routine patrol over the Scarborough Shoal.

AU6 19 - Philippines and China accuse each other of ramming vessels and performing dangerous manoeuvres near Sabina shoal.

AUG 24 - Philippines calls on Beijing to "immediately cease all provocative and dangerous actions" after accusing it of "unjustifiably" deploying flares from China-occupied Subi Reef on Aug. 22 while a Manila aircraft was conducting patrols.

AUG 25 - Philippines and China clash near Sabina Shoal over what Manila says was a resupply mission for fishermen.

AUG 27 - Top U.S. admiral says U.S. ships could escort Philippine vessels on resupply missions in the South China Sea, but such an option requires consultation between the treaty allies.

AUG 31 - Philippines and China exchange accusations of intentionally ramming coast guard vessels near the Sabina Shoal, their fifth maritime confrontation in a month.

SEPT 12 - Philippines says it will stick to its position on Sabina Shoal, even while exploring ways to ease tension in the area during "frank and candid" talks with China on managing disputes.

(Reporting by Karen Lema and Mikhail Flores; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)