South China Sea, Media aboard a Philippine Coast Guard ship released footage of the moment three Chinese speedboats chased away the boat that was carrying supplies to Philippine troops in the South China Sea.
The incident happened near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands on Friday. An AFP reporter and a local Philippine media reporter were on board a Philippine Coast Guard rubber boat. The chase ended when a fleet of Philippine Navy fast ships sailed from the wreckage of the BRP Sierra Madre and blocked the Chinese ship. The Philippine Coast Guard ship then drifted near the wreck, which houses a number of Filipino navy personnel and is one of nine Philippine outposts in the Spratly Islands.
The World War II shipwreck was beached in 1999 by the Philippines to prevent China from encroaching on waters over which it has overlapping claims. Meanwhile, China claims rights in almost all of the South China Sea. and ignores international rulings that claims of information from China's historical period have no legal basis. China regularly sends fleets of fast and iron boats to patrol the waters and reefs of the South China Sea. Including creating artificial islands to reinforce ownership claims.
Source: Thai News Agency