Tensions between China and the Philippines escalated after the Philippine Coast Guard accused its Chinese counterpart of firing a water cannon at government vessels near Scarborough Shoal for the second day, risking collision. China claims its actions were lawful amid ongoing disputes in the South China Sea.
Australia has donated surveillance, delivery, and inspection drones to the Philippine Coast Guard, including fixed-wing and underwater vehicles. The donation aims to support the modernization of the Philippine coastguard and its maritime domain awareness efforts.
Beijing and Manila have traded barbs over a Chinese research vessel near a disputed South China Sea reef, with each warning of further countermeasures, a sign of lingering tensions between the two rival claimants. In a statement issued on Thursday night, China Coast Guard (CCG) spokesman Jiang Lue said a Philippine Coast Guard Islander aircraft had “deliberately approached and harassed” China’s Xiang Yang Hong 33 scientific research vessel on Wednesday while the ship was conducting a “legitimate...
