MELBOURNE, March 6, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Southeast Asian and Australian leaders on Wednesday warned against actions that "endanger peace" in the South China Sea, following fresh confrontations between Beijing and the Philippines in contested waters.

Simmering tensions in the trade corridor threatened to boil over earlier this week, when Chinese boats in the Spratly Islands were accused of hounding Philippines vessels.

China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, ignoring legal precedents and competing claims from a host of Southeast Asian nations.

The festering dispute poses one of the region's most vexing security challenges, looming large during a three-day summit between Australia and the 10-nation ASEAN bloc.

"We encourage all countries to avoid any unilateral actions that endanger peace, security and stability in the region," read a joint declaration hammered out between ASEAN members and Australia.

"We recognise the benefits of having the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability and prosperity," the statement added.

As the summit kicked off on Monday morning, Philippine foreign minister Enrique Manalo delivered a simple request to Beijing: "Stop harassing us".

The following day, Chinese coast guard boats were accused of harassing a flotilla of Philippine ships sailing a resupply mission.

The Chinese vessels were involved in two separate collisions, the Philippines coast guard said, and blasted one of the resupply boats with a powerful water cannon.

Bound to act by consensus, the ASEAN forum has long struggled to make inroads on the overlapping claims staked throughout the South China Sea.

But the fraught atmosphere hanging over the region has nations such as the Philippines now pushing for the bloc to take a firmer stance.

Close United States ally Australia has proven increasingly willing to speak out against China.

"We need to make sure that activity in the South China Sea alleviates any tensions and doesn't add to it," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters at the summit.

- Gaza ceasefire -

ASEAN leaders and Australia also threw their weight behind a renewed international push to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, a thorny issue that divided opinions behind closed doors.

"We urge for an immediate and durable humanitarian ceasefire," said the leaders of 11 nations after days of diplomatic wrangling over the text.

With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan around the corner, the United States and a growing list of nations have been stepping up efforts to secure some kind of pause in fighting.

Singapore had baulked at an earlier suggestion the statement condemn "the use of starvation" in the Gaza Strip, language that would have infuriated Israel.

Diplomats also argued over whether the statement should call for a total ceasefire -- or a perhaps more temporary "humanitarian" pause.