The Philippines mentioned on Saturday it has suspended a scientific survey within the South China Sea after two of its fisheries vessels confronted harassment and aggressive behaviour from China’s coast guard and navy.
Manila and Beijing have had a collection of escalating confrontations in disputed waters of the South China Sea. China claims virtually all of the strategic waterway – by which $3 trillion in commerce strikes yearly – overlapping sovereignty claims by the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Two Philippine fisheries vessels, on their approach on Friday to gather sand samples from Sandy Cay close to Philippine-occupied Thitu island, encountered “aggressive manoeuvres” from three China Coast Guard ships, the Philippine Coast Guard mentioned in an announcement on Saturday.
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