Philippines flags near-doubling of Chinese presence in disputed waters
China’s military and coast guard presence in South China Sea waters claimed by the Philippines nearly doubled last month, Manila said Thursday, the same day it reported a fresh standoff near a disputed shoal during the rescue of a sick sailor. Beijing claims most of the strategic waterway despite an international ruling that its assertion […]
The Philippines reported a significant increase in Chinese military and coast guard presence in disputed South China Sea waters last month, nearly doubling from the previous month, the country's military said on Thursday. The Philippines, which claims sovereignty over most of the strategic waterway despite having no legal basis, experienced standoffs with Chinese ships during the rescue of a sick sailor near a disputed shoal.
A Chinese vessel fired a water cannon to obstruct a Philippine patrol ship from reaching a warship to rescue the injured soldier, delaying the mission for nearly 10 hours. Chinese officials have warned Manila against provocative acts in the disputed waters, claiming the incident violated their airspace.
Written by urgent.news from Hong Kong Free Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
