In 2012, China wrested control of Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea from the Philippines. With the shoal—reefs, rocks, and a vast lagoon—located just 220 km (137 miles) from the Philippines’ main island Luzon, the incident heightened tensions and embarrassed Manila, which the following year opened a case in an international tribunal challenging Beijing’s territorial moves in the sea.
So alarm bells went off earlier this month when Chinese ships gathered at Sandy Cay, a set of sandbars close to Philippines-occupied Thitu Island in the sea’s Spratly archipelago. The island has a small civilian population and a decrepit runway the Philippines has been meaning to repair.
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Update: South China Sea Update: Assessing the Latest Chinese Maritime Near Thitu Island (The Diplomat)
WNU editor: Philippine President Duterte says that he is not concerned .... Duterte downplays Chinese fleet movements around Thitu island (Asia Times). He should be .... New Chinese Activity in Disputed Sea Challenges Sino-Philippine Friendship (VOA).
1 comment:
Duterte is likely being bribed. Think about it. That guy has no problems when innocent people get killed during his war on drugs. He has the moral compass of a hyena. Too bad he's so popular still in the Philippines. Give it a few more years and he'll hopefully be dragged to prison
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