Countries surrounding the South China Sea have built more than 90 outposts on around 70 islands, rocks and reefs in the highly disputed area, satellite images show.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said he would "always safeguard our sovereignty" when asked about the issue of the South China Sea, adding partnerships are better than conflicts and that "we respect all powers".

FILE - A Philippine flag flutters from BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has been aground since 1999 and became a Philippine military detachment on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 29, 2014.

The move was a direct response to the Philippines’ enactment of two new laws aimed at strengthening the country’s own maritime claims.

China is putting ever greater pressure on the Philippines to cede its sovereign rights in the South China Sea, Manila's Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Tuesday after meeting his Australian counterpart in Canberra.

Donald Trump faces a more confrontational China in the South China Sea in his second term, escalating the risk of a conflict.

Over the weekend, the two nations signed a joint development agreement that refers to “overlapping claims” in the disputed waterway.

Indonesia said on Monday it does not recognise China's claims over the South China Sea despite signing a joint maritime development deal with Beijing, as some analysts warned the agreement risked compromising the country's sovereign rights.