He warned China not to cross a red line as their standoff in the South China Sea escalates.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has warned China not to cross a red line in the South China Sea, where a standoff between the countries continues to escalate.

If any Filipino died as a result of China’s wilful actions, he said on Friday, the Philippines would consider it as close to “an act of war” and respond accordingly.

Mr Marcos was speaking at a security forum in Singapore attended by defence chiefs from around the world, including the US’s Lloyd Austin.

He stressed the region remained a main focus for Washington, and that the US was only secure if Asia was too.

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    Manila has complained vociferously about Chinese patrol ships firing water cannon at Philippine boats and supply vessels.Beijing has said that it is defending its sovereignty.

    The US is bound by a treaty signed with the Philippines to come to the South East Asian nation’s defence, should it come under attack.The US has said it will stand by its commitments to its allies in the region, and has sought to draw them closer including holding a summit with the Philippines and Japan last month.On Friday night, Mr Marcos had just finished delivering the opening address at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore when a delegate posed a hypothetical situation where Chinese water cannon killed a Filipino soldier.

    Almost certainly it’s going to be a red line.”Asked by the BBC for comment, a Chinese military spokesman said that “if only one personnel was accidentally killed in a conflict or accident that triggers war, then I really believe it’s a belligerent country”.He also took issue with Mr Marcos criticising China’s moves to claim sovereignty in his speech, and accused the Philippines of “deflecting the blame on China”.WATCH: BBC on board Philippine ship hit by Chinese water cannonHours later US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in his speech that “the harassment that the Philippines has faced is dangerous - plain and simple”.When asked how the US would respond to the situation posed to Mr Marcos, he said that while their commitment to their treaty with the Philippines was “ironclad”, he would not speculate on how the US might react.

    "Addressing a roomful of delegates mostly from Asia, he underscored the US’ commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, which he said remained their priority, despite the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts.He listed the ways they were building up various Asian countries’ defences through military exercises, agreements, and US troop presence.

    Following a meeting between Mr Austin and Mr Dong, both sides said they were working on resuming telephone conversations between military commanders - a key hotline severed in 2022 after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan - and establishing a crisis communications working group.

    And I certainly hope that he’ll do the same," said Mr Austin, who added that such communication would improve stability in the region.The Chinese military said the meeting was “positive, practical and constructive” and that the US-China relationship was “stabilising from further deterioration”.

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