The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has accused its Chinese counterpart of steering one of its ships within meters of a Filipino patrol vessel in the disputed South China Sea, breaking international rules and risking a collision. The incident happened on March 2 near the contested Scarborough Shoal —one of the region’s richest fishing grounds and a flashpoint between the two countries—but was only made public Sunday. It was the fourth time in the past year that a Chinese coast guard vessel had conducted “close distance maneuvering” near the shoal, the PCG said in a statement.

Requejo, R. E. (2022, March 28). Chinese patrol boat steers close to PCG ship off Scarborough. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.