Philippines Watches China’s Next Move at Sea After Barrier Row
- Philippine military to respond if China puts new blockade
- Philippines, US finalizing plans for South China Sea patrols
A Chinese coast guard ship blocks a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel near the entrance of the Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea.
Photographer: Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images
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The Philippine military is “very closely” monitoring Beijing’s next move in the South China Sea, vowing to counter any attempt to install new barriers in the disputed waters.
Tensions rose this week after the Philippines’ coast guard, upon President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order, removed a floating barrier in the Scarborough Shoal that it said was installed by China. Manila said the barrier had prevented Filipino fishermen from entering the area.