Incident in the South China Sea: China’s Coast Guard apparently blockaded a Philippine naval vessel. The team was recovering unidentified metal debris near an island claimed by the Philippines on Sunday when the Chinese Coast Guard intervened and took the metal object, said Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, a regional military commander in the Philippines.
To do this, the Chinese cut the towline attached to the Philippine ship. No one was injured in the incident, police said. It happened about 700 meters off the coast of Pag-asa Island, also known as Thitu, which is part of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Thitu is the largest of the Philippines-administered islands in the group.
Incident just hours before Harris’s arrival
Just a few hours later, US Vice President Kamala Harris landed in the Philippines on Sunday night. During a meeting with the president of the Southeast Asian island nation, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., she pledged US support for the country. Washington supports the Philippines “in defending international rules and standards related to the South China Sea,” Harris said Monday. This is an “immutable obligation” of the US to the partner.
On Tuesday, the US No. 2 visit Puerto Princesa in the western island province of Palawan, to which the island belongs. Observers think the visit could fuel tensions with China.
US-China relations at an all-time low
Relations between the two world powers are at an all-time low. Chinese head of state and party leader Xi Jinping met with US President Joe Biden at the G20 summit in Bali last week. Xi and Harris briefly met at the APEC summit in Thailand this weekend.
China claims all of the strategically important Spratly Islands, while Brunei, Malaysia, and the Philippines each claim part of the islands. There are military garrisons on many of the otherwise uninhabited islands.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
