The Philippine military has opened two weeks of combat drills that will include seizing an island in the disputed South China Sea and likely be frowned upon by China.

China has yet to respond to the call, which includes payment for two damaged boats and the return of rifles seized during the June 17 stand-off.

China has rapidly expanded its military and has become increasingly assertive in pursuing territorial claims in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety.

The Philippines and the European Union have moved beyond general language to explicitly condemn "illegal, coercive, aggressive and dangerous actions" in the South China Sea following high-level talks in Manila on Tuesday,

Beijing has taken aim at Vietnam and demanded fishermen be given an "education" on "illegal activities" in the South China Sea, as regional tensions ramp up. The demands were made in response to Hanoi's fury at China's detention of Vietnamese fishermen and fishing vessels in the disputed Paracel Islands.