The Philippines under Marcos has stepped up its rhetoric to challenge China and is seeking closer ties with former colonial power and defense ally the United States, including plans to hold joint sea patrols.
ABOARD PHILIPPINES COAST GUARD PLANE, South China Sea – As a Philippine coast guard aircraft flew over the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea on Thursday, March 9, a message came in over the radio telling it to immediately leave “Chinese territory.”
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has for years permanently deployed hundreds of coast guard and fishing vessels in disputed areas like the Spratlys, where it has dredged sand to build islands on reefs, and equipped them with missiles and runways.occupies nine features there, and has accused China of aggression and “swarming” by fishing vessels that it says are militia, including near the tiny Thitu island occupied by Manila since the 1970s.
China said on Friday, March 10, it has sovereignty over the Spratly Islands, known in China as the Nansha Islands, and its adjacent waters.
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