Why a Stranded WWII Ship Is Inflaming China, Philippine Tensions
- China fired water cannons on Philippine vessels on Aug. 5
- Ship installed in 1999, four years after China occupied a reef
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The latest spat between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea has an unlikely object at its center: a World War II-era ship that’s now rusty after being stranded in contested waters for more than two decades.
For the Philippines, the ship called BRP Sierra Madre is a commissioned naval vessel and is a “permanent” government installation within its territory.