Manila, Jan. 23 -- Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have affirmed the strength of the Philippines-US alliance during a conversation Wednesday night.

In a statement, Manalo said he and Rubio discussed the "importance of the alliance for the prosperity and security of the Indo Pacific," and the strength of the two states' bilateral political, economic and people-to-people ties.

"We look forward to working with Secretary Rubio and his team towards addressing challenges and sustaining the momentum and positive trajectory in our bilateral relations," he said.

The State Department said the two foreign secretaries also spoke about China's "dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea...