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 i…