The United States said Friday it would deploy Coast Guard patrol ships in the western Pacific to counter “destabilizing and malign” activities by China in disputed fishing grounds of the South China Sea. Accusing China of “illegal” and “unregulated” fishing, as well as “harassment” of fishing boats from regional countries, White House National Security advisor Robert O’brien said in a statement that the US Coast Guard “is strategically homeporting significantly enhanced Fast Response Cutters ... in the western Pacific.”

US sending ships to counter China. (2020, October 25). Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A14.