In this handout photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a China Coast Guard ship uses water cannon on Philippine navy-operated supply boat M/L Kalayaan as it approaches Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, December 10, 2023 [Philippine Coast Guard via AP] Manila, Philippines – On February 2, 1995, just over two years after the last American soldiers had left the Philippines, a Filipino navy patrol boat found a newly built structure on stilts flying a Chinese flag on a submerged reef, some 240 kilometres (149 miles) off the Philippine island of Palawan. The sailors had gone to Mischief Reef in the South China Sea after a Filipino fisherman reported being taken captive by Chinese soldiers in the area. Beijing, which claims nearly all of the South China Sea , dismissed the allegations and insisted that the octagonal structure on the reef – which was equipped with a satellite dish for communications with the Chinese mainland – was merely a shelter for its fishermen. Keep reading list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4 Rhetoric escalates in China-Philippines South China Sea dispute list 2 of 4 China urges Philippines to ‘act with caution’ amid South China Sea dispute list 3 of 4 Philippines summons China ambassador after South China Sea confrontations list 4 of 4 Philippines and China accuse each other of South China Sea collisions end of list Today, Mischief Reef is a fully fledged Chinese military outpost, with a 3,000-metre airfield runway, radar systems and warehouses probably housing surface-to-air missile systems on land reclaimed from the sea. Chinese navy and coastguard vessels patrol the area, harassing Filipino troops, including by using military-grade lasers and water cannon, and blocking Filipino fishermen from the rich fishing grounds in the waterway by ramming their boats and […]
Click here to visit source. How an impasse in the South China Sea drove the Philippines, US closer