A Chinese diplomatic vehicle leaves the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila on December 11, 2023. The Philippines said it had summoned China's envoy on December 11 and flagged the possibility of expelling him following the most tense confrontations between the countries' vessels in years at flashpoint reefs in the disputed South China Sea. JAM STA ROSA / AFP

Philippines Files Diplomatic Protest Against China for Harassment in the West Philippine Sea

Read more about the Philippines filing a diplomatic protest against China for harassment in the West Philippine Sea. The protest comes after Chinese ships fired water cannons at Philippine vessels and a CCG vessel collided with a civilian boat. The possibility of declaring the Chinese ambassador as ‘persona non grata’ is being considered.

Continue Reading
(FILES) This file photo taken on May 14, 2019 shows a Philippines' coast guard ship (R) sailing past a Chinese coast guard ship during a joint search and rescue exercise between the Philippines and US coast guards near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. - The Scarborough Shoal fishing ground, tapped by generations of Filipino fishermen, is one of many potential flashpoints for military conflict over the South China Sea. China and Taiwan both claim sovereignty over almost the entire sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have competing claims to parts of it. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP) / TO GO WITH China-Xi-congress-Philippines-fishing, FOCUS by Allison JACKSON

Chinese Ships Harass Philippine Vessels off Scarborough Shoal

Read more about the ongoing harassment of Philippine vessels by Chinese ships off Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. The vessels, BRP Datu Sanday, BRP Datu Bankaw, and BRP Datu Tamblot, were bombarded by water cannons and continue to be harassed. They were engaged with CCG 3302 and 3305 and four China maritime militia ships for three hours. This incident highlights the tensions between the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the China Coast Guard (CCG) in the disputed area. The Philippine vessels were on a supply mission for Filipino fishermen in the area.

Continue Reading