#Philippine coast guard deployed 3 patrol ship & a light plane to keep watch from a distance on the group of about 100 people who set off from western #Zambales province to assert Manila’s sovereignty over #ScarboroughShoal & surrounding waters.
Overcrowding problem on China’s #ArtificialIslands in the #SouthChinaSea could be solved with tunnels, according to a #Chinese#ocean#engineering project team that says it has developed an excavation method to overcome the limitations of the soft coral sand.
After a rapid expansion of its presence in the contested #Spratly#reef chain that began about a decade ago, #China eased back on construction in recent years in a bid to soothe the nerves of neighbouring countries
In a press conference, #PhilippineCoastGuard presented satellite images of #CoralReefs surrounding Scarborough Shoal. Reefs appeared badly scarred, which the PCG said were caused by #Chinese fishermen searching for giant clams.
"At least seven Chinese crew members of a foreign aggregate carrier were detained by the #Philippines Coast Guard in San Felipe town in this province on Thursday for illegal entry after they failed to present proper documents during an inspection.... Commander Euphraim Jayson Diciano, head of the PCG station in #Zambales, said the Hyperline 988, a vessel registered in #SierraLeone..was being held in the vicinity waters off Barangay Sindol
"The 'largest blockade' of Chinese vessels is en route to Panatag Shoal (also known as #ScarboroughShoal or Bajo de Masinloc) in the West Philippine Sea, ahead of a civilian mission to the area, said an expert and observer of maritime movements in the region on Monday...'This will be by far the largest blockade I’ll have ever tracked at Scarborough. #China seems determined to aggressively enforce its claim over the shoal,' he said
"The civilian-led mission aiming to deliver supplies to Filipino fisherfolk in Panatag Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc, will proceed with the trip despite the reported heavy presence of Chinese vessels in the area, its organizer said on Monday. Atin Ito Coalition will sail to Panatag (#ScarboroughShoal) from May 14 to 17 to bring supplies to fishers and install buoys bearing the message: 'West Philippine Sea is ours!'
The INS Delhi (guided missile destroyer), INS Shakti(fleet tanker), and INS Kiltan (anti-submarine corvette) reached the #Changi naval base in the city-state on Monday, the Indian Navy spokesperson said in a post on X.
The three ships will leave for #Malaysia on Thursday and then visit the #Philippines.
"We are witnessing a historic process -- Russians are leaving for the first time in two centuries," independent Azerbaijani analyst Elhan Shahinoglu told AFP.
I never thought I'd hashtag Ukraine & the South China Sea in the same post 😬
#Russia is the top supplier of weapons to #Vietnam and also plays a crucial role in the exploitation of Vietnam's gas reserves in the #SouthChinaSea, in waters that #China claims as its own.
The #EU, an important trading partner for Vietnam, has imposed wide-ranging sanctions on #Moscow over its war in #Ukraine.
"Deliberately grounded on a tiny reef in the #SouthChinaSea, part of an island chain claimed by the two Asian countries, the #BRPSierraMadre is now the unlikely base for a detachment of Filipino marines who stand guard over the atoll, scanning the turquoise waters for Chinese ships." #AyunginShoal#SecondThomasShoal#Philippines
The National Security Adviser #EduardoAno was referring to a news report this week of an alleged leak of a call between a Chinese diplomat and a Filipino admiral discussing a dispute over the #SouthChinaSea, which carried a transcript that showed the admiral agreeing to concessions towards #China. #WestPHSea
As tensions rise throughout the #SouthChinaSea, energy demands are drawing #Malaysia deeper into the fray and testing the country’s long-standing reluctance to antagonize #China.
Since 2020, China has been harassing Malaysian drilling rigs and survey vessels, leading to standoffs that have lasted months.
#China has issued a regulation empowering its coast guard to detain foreigners trespassing in the #SouthChinaSea following the Philippine civilian mission to the #WestPhilippineSea (WPS) that ended on Friday. #WestPHSea