German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock begins a short two-day visit to South-East Asia on Thursday, with a first stop in the Philippines.

Baerbock aims to understand the territorial disputes in the South China Sea amid China’s increasingly aggressive policy and is expected to meet with her counterpart Enrique Manalo in the capital Manila.

China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, has taken increasingly aggressive actions in the area in recent years.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to the 3.5 million square kilometre sea area, which is believed to be rich in natural resources.

In December, Manila accused the Chinese coastguard of firing water cannons at two Philippine supply ships and ramming them. Beijing rejected the accusations.

The area of widely scattered reefs and islands to the west of the Philippines and far south of China has been the subject of dispute between the two countries for decades.

China has ignored a 2016 ruling by an international arbitration court that it has no legal or historical basis for its expansive claims.

In addition to geopolitical issues, the dispute is about fishing grounds, raw materials such as oil and natural gas, and the safety of sea routes.

During her diplomatic trip to Manila, Baerbock also plans to enhance cooperation on skilled labour between both countries. She is expected to visit a technical training centre where mechatronics engineers are trained.

Germany already has a bilateral deal in which some 2,500 nurses have been recruited from the Philippines since 2013.