Tense face-off: Philippines confronts China over sea claims

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

ABOARD BRP MALABRIGO (AP) — A Chinese coast guard ship blocked a Philippine patrol vessel steaming into a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, causing a frightening near-collision in the latest act of Beijing’s aggression in the strategic waterway. The high seas face-off between the larger Chinese ship and the Philippine coast guard’s BRP Malapascua near Second Thomas Shoal was among the tense moments it and another Philippine patrol vessel encountered recently in the disputed sea. The Philippine coast guard invited The Associated Press and other journalists to join the weeklong patrol in a strategy to expose China’s aggressive acts and generate international awareness.